Magoffin County, Kentucky · Salyersville
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With 12% of homes built before 1960 and about 20 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
July brings the most downpours to Magoffin County, part of 8.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
12% 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.
In Magoffin County, 3.96 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
17% of occupied homes in Magoffin County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
With 44 muggy nights a year, mold in Magoffin County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 11,348 people live in Magoffin County, 308 square miles in eastern Kentucky, in roughly 5,489 homes. The county seat is Salyersville. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
25/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Magoffin County ranks 116 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Magoffin County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
For frozen pipes, Magoffin County is a typical Kentucky county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 20 nights a year at or below 20°F (50th of 120) and 90 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -15°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 13 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 Nov 1 and the last spring freeze around Apr 21.
Magoffin gets fewer downpours than most Kentucky counties, but they still fill basements. About 8.3 days a year bring an inch or more (111th of 120), most often in July, out of 49.8 inches of total precipitation. On July 28, 2022, 3.96 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.85 inches (through July 29, 2022).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 81 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
Kentucky's 120 counties range widely in housing age; Magoffin ranks 88th, with 38% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 12% built before 1960 to 21% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 41% 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 47% 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
Magoffin County averages 44 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 Magoffin County it's 25% utility gas, 51% electric, 16% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is above the Kentucky norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Magoffin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Johnson and Morgan get more pipe-freeze nights than Magoffin. Knott County has the oldest housing nearby, with 47% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Magoffin | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 18% | 97 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 38% | 44% | 88 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 25% | 86 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 47% | 19% | 1 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 13% | 54 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 13% | 52 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 20/yr | 20/yr | 50 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.3/yr | 12/yr | 111 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 81/yr | 73/yr | 13 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 44/yr | 59/yr | 104 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 Magoffin County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, May 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