Washington County, New York · Fort Edward
Water spreading, a burst pipe, sewage, mold or smoke? Call to be connected with a restoration company that serves Hudson Falls, Fort Edward and Whitehall. Start the steps below while you wait.
Answered 24/7 by a participating local provider. We're a referral service and don't do the work ourselves. How it works
Start here
Pick the closest match. These steps limit the damage and protect your insurance claim. Skip anything that isn't safe.
Washington County averages 64 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 48% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Washington County averages 5 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Washington County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 110 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
25% of occupied homes in Washington County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the New York county median of 19%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 10 times a year in Washington County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Washington County covers 831 square miles of eastern New York, with about 60,522 residents and 29,192 homes. The county seat is Fort Edward, and Hudson Falls, Whitehall and Granville round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1963, half after.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Washington County ranks 13 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Washington County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
Washington County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of New York. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 64 nights a year at or below 20°F (15th of 57) and 148 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 28 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2015. The coldest night reached about -18°F on February 4, 2023. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs November to April, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 16 and end around Apr 30.
Rainfall is about average for New York. The county gets about 39.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5 days of an inch or more (33rd of 57). Those downpours cluster in April, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.67 inches on September 30, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.62 inches, ending October 1, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 110 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
64% of homes in Washington County predate 1980, close to the New York county median of 66.8%, which ranks 37th of New York's 57 counties.
The mix runs from 48% built before 1960 to 15% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
With 16% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Washington County averages 10 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Washington County homes break down as 23% utility gas, 12% electric, 15% propane and 10% wood. Wood heat is above the New York norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Washington County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Essex and Warren get more pipe-freeze nights than Washington. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Rensselaer County has the oldest housing nearby, with 67% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Washington | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 48% | 45% | 22 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 64% | 67% | 37 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 13% | 13 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.2% | 7.6% | 40 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 14% | 23 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 25% | 19% | 15 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 64/yr | 55/yr | 15 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5/yr | 6/yr | 33 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 110/yr | 101/yr | 2 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 10/yr | 12/yr | 34 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 Washington County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, June and August.
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