Lawrence County, Pennsylvania · New Castle
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Pipes freeze in Lawrence County on about 35 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 56% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.3 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Lawrence County gets about 5.3 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 94 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
6% of occupied homes in Lawrence County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Pennsylvania county median of 10%.
With 18 muggy nights a year, mold in Lawrence County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 39,591 homes and around 85,024 residents, Lawrence County is 357 square miles of western Pennsylvania. The county seat is New Castle, and Ellwood City, New Wilmington and Oakwood round out the largest towns. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1957.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Lawrence County ranks 32 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lawrence County ranks highest compared with other Pennsylvania counties.
For frozen pipes, Lawrence County is a typical Pennsylvania county, which is still plenty. It averaged 122 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 35 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 38th.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -15°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 15 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 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 27.
Lawrence gets fewer downpours than most Pennsylvania counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 44.7 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 63rd of 67. April, June and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.04 inches, September 10, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.45 inches (through June 16, 2015).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 94 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
77% of homes in Lawrence County predate 1980, above the Pennsylvania county median of 66%, which ranks 7th of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
56% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
Beyond water
Lawrence County averages 18 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Lawrence County homes break down as 57% utility gas, 25% electric, 4% propane and 3% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Lawrence County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Butler and Mercer get more pipe-freeze nights than Lawrence. Beaver County has the oldest housing nearby, with 78% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lawrence | Pennsylvania median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 56% | 42% | 6 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 77% | 66% | 7 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 8.6% | 13% | 59 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.6% | 6.6% | 34 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 8.8% | 12% | 47 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 6.2% | 10% | 54 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 35/yr | 37/yr | 38 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.3/yr | 7/yr | 63 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 94/yr | 98/yr | 46 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 18/yr | 16/yr | 33 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 Lawrence County: freezing from November to March, 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