Wyoming County, Pennsylvania · Tunkhannock
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Pipes freeze in Wyoming County on about 46 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 36% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in August. Wyoming County averages 10.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
36% 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.
Wyoming County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.99 inches, and about 98 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
32% of occupied homes in Wyoming County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Pennsylvania county median of 10%.
With 14 muggy nights a year, mold in Wyoming County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 25,967 people live in Wyoming County, 397 square miles in northeast Pennsylvania, in roughly 12,896 homes. Besides Tunkhannock, the county seat, the biggest communities are Factoryville, Nicholson and Noxen. Half the homes here were built before 1974, half after.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Wyoming County ranks 18 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Wyoming County ranks highest compared with other Pennsylvania counties.
Wyoming County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Pennsylvania. From 2015–2024 it averaged 46 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 133 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 16th of 67 counties.
On February 24, 2015 the low fell to about -13°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 15 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 23 and end around Apr 29.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Pennsylvania. About 10.1 days a year bring an inch or more (9th of 67), most often in August, out of 46.5 inches of total precipitation. On September 2, 2021, 2.99 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.59 inches, ending July 26, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 98 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
Pennsylvania's 67 counties range widely in housing age; Wyoming ranks 46th, with 61% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 36% of homes are pre-1960 and 15% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
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 11% 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 15% 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
Wyoming County averages 14 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. 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, Wyoming County homes break down as 4% utility gas, 24% electric, 21% propane and 11% 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 Wyoming County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bradford, Lackawanna, Sullivan and Susquehanna get more pipe-freeze nights than Wyoming. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Lackawanna County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Wyoming | Pennsylvania median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 36% | 42% | 50 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 61% | 66% | 46 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 13% | 28 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 6.6% | 13 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 12% | 23 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 32% | 10% | 3 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 46/yr | 37/yr | 16 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 7/yr | 9 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 98/yr | 98/yr | 33 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 14/yr | 16/yr | 40 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 Wyoming County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, August 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