Sullivan County, Pennsylvania · Laporte
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Sullivan County averages 56 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 39% of its homes predate 1960.
April brings the most downpours to Sullivan County, part of 9.4 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Sullivan County gets about 9.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Sullivan County, 2.77 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
31% of occupied homes in Sullivan County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Pennsylvania county median of 10%.
About 6 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 5,584 homes and around 5,888 residents, Sullivan County is 450 square miles of northeast Pennsylvania. Besides Laporte, the county seat, the biggest communities are Dushore, Mildred and Forksville. Half the homes here were built before 1973, half after.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Sullivan County ranks 14 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Sullivan County ranks highest compared with other Pennsylvania counties.
Sullivan County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Pennsylvania. It averaged 147 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 56 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 2nd.
The longest cold spell was straight 15 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -14°F on February 24, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 16 and end around May 10.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Pennsylvania. The county gets about 48.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 9.4 days of an inch or more (16th of 67). Those downpours cluster in April, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.77 inches on December 25, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.15 inches, ending July 26, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 100 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
61% of homes in Sullivan County predate 1980, close to the Pennsylvania county median of 66%, which ranks 45th of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 39% predate 1960 and 15% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 24% 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.
With 54% 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 6 times a year here, below 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, Sullivan County homes break down as 1% utility gas, 18% electric, 13% propane and 19% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Sullivan County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Sullivan gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Luzerne County has the oldest housing nearby, with 74% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Sullivan | Pennsylvania median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 39% | 42% | 43 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 61% | 66% | 45 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 13% | 26 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.2% | 6.6% | 25 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 54% | 12% | 2 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 31% | 10% | 4 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 56/yr | 37/yr | 2 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.4/yr | 7/yr | 16 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 100/yr | 98/yr | 25 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 6/yr | 16/yr | 61 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 Sullivan County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, July 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