Cameron County, Pennsylvania · Emporium
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Cameron County averages 51 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 51% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.8 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Cameron County gets about 5.8 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 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 Cameron County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Pennsylvania county median of 10%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 6 times a year in Cameron County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 3,920 homes and around 4,427 residents, Cameron County is 396 square miles of northern Pennsylvania. Besides Emporium, the county seat, the biggest communities are Prospect Park, Driftwood and Sinnamahoning. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1959.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Cameron County ranks 16 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Cameron County ranks highest compared with other Pennsylvania counties.
Cameron is on the colder side of Pennsylvania for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 51 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 146 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 8th of 67 counties.
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 -19°F on February 16, 2015.
Most freezing nights fall from November to April, 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 14 and the last spring freeze around May 10.
Cameron gets fewer downpours than most Pennsylvania counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 45.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.8 days of an inch or more (54th of 67). Those downpours cluster in July, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.58 inches on September 30, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.55 inches (through September 11, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 110 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
Roughly 76% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Cameron among the oldest housing stocks of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
In Cameron County 51% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 12% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
44% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Cameron County averages 6 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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, Cameron County homes break down as 51% utility gas, 11% electric, 15% propane and 10% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Pennsylvania 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 Cameron County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
McKean and Potter get more pipe-freeze nights than Cameron. McKean County has the oldest housing nearby, with 78% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Cameron | Pennsylvania median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 51% | 42% | 13 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 76% | 66% | 11 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 6.1% | 13% | 67 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 6.6% | 10 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 44% | 12% | 4 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 25% | 10% | 10 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 51/yr | 37/yr | 8 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.8/yr | 7/yr | 54 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 110/yr | 98/yr | 2 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 6/yr | 16/yr | 61 of 67 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Pennsylvania county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Cameron County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in July, September 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