Snyder County, Pennsylvania · Middleburg
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Snyder County averages 32 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 37% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Snyder County averages 7.2 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Snyder County gets about 7.2 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 96 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
18% of occupied homes in Snyder County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Pennsylvania county median of 10%.
With 31 muggy nights a year, mold in Snyder County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 16,053 homes and around 39,668 residents, Snyder County is 329 square miles of central Pennsylvania. Besides Middleburg, the county seat, the biggest communities are Selinsgrove, Shamokin Dam and McClure. The county's median home was built in 1973.
43/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Snyder County ranks 49 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Snyder County ranks highest compared with other Pennsylvania counties.
For frozen pipes, Snyder County is a typical Pennsylvania county, which is still plenty. It averaged 117 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 32 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 43rd.
The longest cold spell was straight 14 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -6°F on February 16, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 25.
Rainfall is about average for Pennsylvania. The county gets about 44.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.2 days of an inch or more (31st of 67). Those downpours cluster in July, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.56 inches on September 2, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.69 inches (through July 24, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 96 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
Roughly 58% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Snyder among the newer housing stocks of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 18% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 24% 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.
Here 8% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
Snyder County averages 31 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Snyder County it's 13% utility gas, 34% electric, 8% propane and 10% wood. Wood heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Snyder County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Northumberland and Union get more pipe-freeze nights than Snyder. Northumberland County has the oldest housing nearby, with 77% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Snyder | Pennsylvania median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 37% | 42% | 48 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 58% | 66% | 51 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 13% | 14 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.4% | 6.6% | 23 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 9.1% | 12% | 45 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 10% | 16 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 32/yr | 37/yr | 43 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.2/yr | 7/yr | 31 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 96/yr | 98/yr | 40 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 31/yr | 16/yr | 17 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 Snyder County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in July, August and September.
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