Ulster County, New York · Kingston
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Pipes freeze in Ulster County on about 50 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 45% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in October. Ulster County averages 10.8 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Ulster County gets about 10.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 106 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
18% of occupied homes in Ulster County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the New York county median of 19%.
With 14 muggy nights a year, mold in Ulster County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Ulster County covers 1,124 square miles of southeast New York, with about 182,601 residents and 86,503 homes. Besides Kingston, the county seat, the biggest communities are New Paltz, Highland and Ellenville. The county's median home was built in 1966.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Ulster County ranks 9 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Ulster County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
For frozen pipes, Ulster County is a typical New York county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 50 nights a year at or below 20°F (37th of 57) and 137 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 15 days below freezing (ending February 2015), and the low bottomed out near -12°F on February 14, 2016.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 24 and the last spring freeze around Apr 28.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of New York. About 10.8 days a year bring an inch or more (1st of 57), most often in October, out of 49.8 inches of total precipitation. On September 2, 2021, 4.1 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.49 inches (through October 27, 2021).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 106 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
New York's 57 counties range widely in housing age; Ulster ranks 30th, with 66% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 45% of homes are pre-1960 and 15% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 14 times a year here, above the New York county median of 12. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Ulster County homes break down as 21% utility gas, 16% electric, 14% propane and 4% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Ulster County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Delaware, Greene and Sullivan get more pipe-freeze nights than Ulster. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Ulster | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 45% | 29 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 66% | 67% | 30 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 13% | 20 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.8% | 7.6% | 37 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 14% | 28 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 19% | 30 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 50/yr | 55/yr | 37 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 6/yr | 1 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 106/yr | 101/yr | 12 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 14/yr | 12/yr | 26 of 57 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest New York county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Ulster County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in August, October and November.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology