McKean County, Pennsylvania · Smethport
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McKean County averages 55 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 59% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in June. McKean County averages 5.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which McKean County gets about 5.7 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 106 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in McKean County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Pennsylvania county median of 10%.
About 5 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
About 39,904 people live in McKean County, 980 square miles in northwest Pennsylvania, in roughly 19,465 homes. The county seat is Smethport, and Bradford, Kane and Port Allegany round out the largest towns. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1953.
62/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated McKean County ranks 10 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where McKean County ranks highest compared with other Pennsylvania counties.
McKean is on the colder side of Pennsylvania for pipes. It averaged 146 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 55 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 3rd.
On February 16, 2015 the low fell to about -23°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 19 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 11.
McKean gets fewer downpours than most Pennsylvania counties, but they still fill basements. About 5.7 days a year bring an inch or more (57th of 67), most often in June, out of 46.2 inches of total precipitation. On November 12, 2022, 2.7 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.67 inches (through October 22, 2016).
About 106 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
78% of homes in McKean County predate 1980, above the Pennsylvania county median of 66%, which ranks 6th of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
Before 1960 is when 59% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
9% 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.
With 16% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 5 times a year here, below the Pennsylvania county median of 16. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, McKean County homes break down as 80% utility gas, 8% electric, 4% propane and 4% 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 McKean County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Potter gets more pipe-freeze nights than McKean. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | McKean | Pennsylvania median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 59% | 42% | 3 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 78% | 66% | 6 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 6.5% | 13% | 66 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.3% | 6.6% | 20 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 12% | 22 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.9% | 10% | 43 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 55/yr | 37/yr | 3 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.7/yr | 7/yr | 57 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 106/yr | 98/yr | 10 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 5/yr | 16/yr | 64 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 McKean County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, June 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