Yates County, New York · Penn Yan
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Yates County averages 49 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 42% of its homes predate 1960.
June brings the most downpours to Yates County, part of 3.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Yates County gets about 3.5 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Yates County, 2.87 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
36% of occupied homes in Yates County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the New York county median of 19%.
About 15 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Yates County covers 338 square miles of central New York, with about 24,526 residents and 13,211 homes. Penn Yan is the county seat; Dundee, Keuka Park and Rushville are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1969, half after.
32/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Yates County ranks 54 of 57 New York counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Yates County ranks highest compared with other New York counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Yates County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 134 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 49 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 57 New York counties that's 38th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 19 days below freezing (ending March 2015), and the low bottomed out near -13°F on February 24, 2015.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to April. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 24 and end around May 6.
Yates gets fewer downpours than most New York counties, but they still fill basements. About 3.5 days a year bring an inch or more (53rd of 57), most often in June, out of 35.2 inches of total precipitation. On August 19, 2021, 2.87 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.7 inches, ending October 23, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 93 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
63% of homes in Yates County predate 1980, close to the New York county median of 66.8%, which ranks 43rd of New York's 57 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 42% of homes are pre-1960 and 14% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 23% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
11% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the New York county median of 7.6%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
The Census counted 28% of homes as vacant, above the New York county median of 13.9%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 15 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Yates County it's 29% utility gas, 21% electric, 27% propane and 9% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Yates County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Schuyler and Steuben get more pipe-freeze nights than Yates. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Seneca County has the oldest housing nearby, with 69% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Yates | New York median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 42% | 45% | 36 of 57 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 63% | 67% | 43 of 57 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 13% | 21 of 57 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 7.6% | 12 of 57 |
| Vacant homes | 28% | 14% | 7 of 57 |
| Wood or propane heat | 36% | 19% | 4 of 57 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 49/yr | 55/yr | 38 of 57 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.5/yr | 6/yr | 53 of 57 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 93/yr | 101/yr | 37 of 57 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 15/yr | 12/yr | 21 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 Yates County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in June, July and October.
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