Perry County, Pennsylvania · Bloomfield
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With 33% of homes built before 1960 and about 28 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
August brings the most downpours to Perry County, part of 7.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
33% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Perry County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.1 inches, and about 89 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
26% of occupied homes in Perry County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Pennsylvania county median of 10%.
About 41 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 46,239 people live in Perry County, 551 square miles in southern Pennsylvania, in roughly 20,049 homes. The county seat is Bloomfield, and Marysville, Newport and Duncannon round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1976, half after.
37/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Perry County ranks 60 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Perry County ranks highest compared with other Pennsylvania counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Pennsylvania, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 28 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 106 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 54th of 67 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 14 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -4°F on February 24, 2015.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 3 and end around Apr 15.
Rainfall is about average for Pennsylvania. The county gets about 44.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.2 days of an inch or more (31st of 67). Those downpours cluster in August, November and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.1 inches on September 2, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.2 inches, ending July 24, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 89 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
56% of homes in Perry County predate 1980, below the Pennsylvania county median of 66%, which ranks 56th of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 17% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 27% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 8% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 41 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 expectMain heating fuel in Perry County's occupied homes: 2% utility gas, 34% electric, 14% propane and 13% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Perry County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Juniata gets more pipe-freeze nights than Perry. Dauphin County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Perry | Pennsylvania median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 33% | 42% | 53 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 56% | 66% | 56 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 13% | 15 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8% | 6.6% | 29 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 8.7% | 12% | 48 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 10% | 8 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 28/yr | 37/yr | 54 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.2/yr | 7/yr | 31 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 89/yr | 98/yr | 55 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 41/yr | 16/yr | 11 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 Perry County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in August, November 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