Mason County, Kentucky · Maysville
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Mason County averages 25 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 31% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.1 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Mason County gets about 9.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Mason County, 3.18 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
7% of occupied homes in Mason County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
With 37 muggy nights a year, mold in Mason County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 8,190 homes and around 16,956 residents, Mason County is 240 square miles of northeast Kentucky. Besides Maysville, the county seat, the biggest communities are Dover, Sardis and Mays Lick. Half the homes here were built before 1977, half after.
63/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Mason County ranks 15 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Mason County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Mason County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Kentucky. From 2015–2024 it averaged 25 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 98 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 2nd of 120 counties.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -14°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.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 30 and end around Apr 22.
Mason gets fewer downpours than most Kentucky counties, but they still fill basements. About 9.1 days a year bring an inch or more (101st of 120), most often in February, out of 50.2 inches of total precipitation. On September 9, 2018, 3.18 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.21 inches, ending September 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 84 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
54% of homes in Mason County predate 1980, above the Kentucky county median of 44.1%, which ranks 25th of Kentucky's 120 counties.
Before 1960 is when 31% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 26% 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 9% 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.
Renters occupy 34% 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 37 times a year here, below 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 expectMain heating fuel in Mason County's occupied homes: 40% utility gas, 52% electric, 5% propane and 2% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Mason County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Lewis gets more pipe-freeze nights than Mason. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Mason | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 31% | 18% | 5 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 54% | 44% | 25 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 25% | 95 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.5% | 19% | 94 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 13% | 62 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.4% | 13% | 89 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 25/yr | 20/yr | 2 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.1/yr | 12/yr | 101 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 84/yr | 73/yr | 7 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 37/yr | 59/yr | 114 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 Mason County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, March 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