Pike County, Kentucky · Pikeville
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Pike County averages 17 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to February, and 14% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 8.6 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 Pike County gets about 8.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 75 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Pike County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 47 times a year in Pike County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 56,727 people live in Pike County, 786 square miles in eastern Kentucky, in roughly 29,044 homes. The county seat is Pikeville, and Coal Run Village, Elkhorn City and South Williamson round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
21/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Lower Pike County ranks 119 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pike County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Pike County is milder than most of Kentucky, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 17 nights a year at or below 20°F (86th of 120) and 82 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -14°F, and in the stretch ending January 2016 the county went 6 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 February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 3 and the last spring freeze around Apr 14.
Pike gets fewer downpours than most Kentucky counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 52.1 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.6 days of an inch or more (107th of 120). Those downpours cluster in February, May and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.09 inches on August 18, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.05 inches (through July 29, 2022).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 75 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
Kentucky's 120 counties range widely in housing age; Pike ranks 74th, with 41% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 14% built before 1960 to 22% 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 37% 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 35% 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.
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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 47 times a year here, below the Kentucky county median of 59. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Pike County's occupied homes: 14% utility gas, 79% electric, 3% propane and 2% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Pike County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Every neighboring county gets more pipe-freeze nights than Pike. Letcher County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pike | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 18% | 89 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 41% | 44% | 74 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 25% | 76 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 35% | 19% | 6 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 13% | 35 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.2% | 13% | 106 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 17/yr | 20/yr | 86 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.6/yr | 12/yr | 107 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 75/yr | 73/yr | 38 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 47/yr | 59/yr | 95 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 Pike County: freezing from November to February, 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