Calloway County, Kentucky · Murray
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Calloway County averages 15 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 18% of its homes predate 1960.
March brings the most downpours to Calloway County, part of 14.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Calloway County gets about 14.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Calloway County, 3.09 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
14% of occupied homes in Calloway County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
With 94 muggy nights a year, mold in Calloway County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 38,224 people live in Calloway County, 385 square miles in southwest Kentucky, in roughly 18,106 homes. The county seat is Murray, and Hazel and Dexter round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1983, half after.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Calloway County ranks 45 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Calloway County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Kentucky, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 15 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 69 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 102nd of 120 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 9 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -4°F on December 23, 2022.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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 5 and end around Apr 1.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kentucky. Of roughly 53.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 14.7 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 8th of 120. February, March and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.09 inches, September 28, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.82 inches, ending September 29, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 61 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
Kentucky's 120 counties range widely in housing age; Calloway ranks 46th, with 46% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 18% built before 1960 to 26% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 28% 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 13% 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.
16% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Renters occupy 36% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 94 times a year here, above the Kentucky county median of 59. 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 Calloway County it's 32% utility gas, 53% electric, 13% propane and 1% wood. Propane 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 Calloway County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Calloway gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Graves County has the oldest housing nearby, with 57% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Calloway | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 18% | 64 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 44% | 46 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 25% | 51 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 19% | 80 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 13% | 40 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 13% | 62 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 15/yr | 20/yr | 102 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 12/yr | 8 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 61/yr | 73/yr | 106 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 94/yr | 59/yr | 1 of 120 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Kentucky county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Calloway County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, March and July.
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