Fulton County, Pennsylvania · McConnellsburg
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Fulton County averages 30 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 32% of its homes predate 1960.
September brings the most downpours to Fulton County, part of 6.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Fulton County gets about 6.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Fulton County, 3.32 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
21% of occupied homes in Fulton County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Pennsylvania county median of 10%.
About 24 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
With 7,157 homes and around 14,531 residents, Fulton County is 438 square miles of southern Pennsylvania. Besides McConnellsburg, the county seat, the biggest communities are Needmore, Hustontown and Wells Tannery. Half the homes here were built before 1976, half after.
30/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Fulton County ranks 67 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Fulton County ranks highest compared with other Pennsylvania counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Pennsylvania, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 114 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 30 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 67 Pennsylvania counties that's 49th.
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.
The freeze season here runs November to March, 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 24 and end around Apr 22.
Fulton gets fewer downpours than most Pennsylvania counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 41.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.3 days of an inch or more (46th of 67). Those downpours cluster in January, September and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.32 inches on September 2, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.64 inches, ending September 2, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 100 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
58% of homes in Fulton County predate 1980, below the Pennsylvania county median of 66%, which ranks 53rd of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 18% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 25% 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.
15% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Pennsylvania county median of 6.6%. 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 24 times a year here, above the Pennsylvania county median of 16. 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, Fulton County homes break down as 0% utility gas, 40% electric, 6% propane and 15% wood. Wood heat is 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 Fulton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bedford and Huntingdon get more pipe-freeze nights than Fulton. Huntingdon County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Fulton | Pennsylvania median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 32% | 42% | 57 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 58% | 66% | 53 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 13% | 13 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 15% | 6.6% | 4 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 12% | 35 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 21% | 10% | 12 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 30/yr | 37/yr | 49 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.3/yr | 7/yr | 46 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 100/yr | 98/yr | 25 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 24/yr | 16/yr | 26 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 Fulton County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in January, September and December.
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