Franklin County, Pennsylvania · Chambersburg
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Franklin County averages 28 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 30% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.7 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Franklin County gets about 6.7 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 95 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
10% of occupied homes in Franklin County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Pennsylvania county median of 10%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 35 times a year in Franklin County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 67,157 homes and around 157,379 residents, Franklin County is 772 square miles of southern Pennsylvania. Besides Chambersburg, the county seat, the biggest communities are Waynesboro, Shippensburg and Greencastle. The county's median home was built in 1978.
31/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Franklin County ranks 66 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Franklin County ranks highest compared with other Pennsylvania counties.
Franklin County is milder than most of Pennsylvania, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 28 nights a year at or below 20°F (54th of 67) and 109 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 24, 2015 the low fell to about -4°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 14 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 29 and the last spring freeze around Apr 20.
Rainfall is about average for Pennsylvania. About 6.7 days a year bring an inch or more (40th of 67), most often in September, out of 41.3 inches of total precipitation. On September 2, 2021, 3.48 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.62 inches (through September 10, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 95 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 53% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Franklin among the newer housing stocks of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 22% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 25% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Beyond water
About 35 nights a year in Franklin County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (14th of 67 counties). May is the wettest month. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Franklin County's occupied homes: 19% utility gas, 52% electric, 5% propane and 5% wood. Wood heat is more common here than in most Pennsylvania counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Franklin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Fulton, Huntingdon and Juniata get more pipe-freeze nights than Franklin. Huntingdon County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Franklin | Pennsylvania median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 30% | 42% | 58 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 53% | 66% | 59 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 13% | 6 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.7% | 6.6% | 39 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 5.4% | 12% | 55 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 10% | 10% | 35 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 28/yr | 37/yr | 54 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.7/yr | 7/yr | 40 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 95/yr | 98/yr | 43 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 35/yr | 16/yr | 14 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 Franklin County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in January, September 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