Charles County, Maryland · La Plata
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Charles County averages 10 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 9% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in August. Charles County averages 9.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Charles County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 65 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
6% of occupied homes in Charles County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Maryland county median of 9.3%.
With 83 muggy nights a year, mold in Charles County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 63,813 homes and around 170,527 residents, Charles County is 458 square miles of southern Maryland. La Plata is the county seat; Waldorf, Bensville and Bryans Road are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1991.
34/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Charles County ranks 22 of 23 Maryland counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Charles County ranks highest compared with other Maryland counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Charles County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 69 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 10 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 23 Maryland counties that's 15th.
The longest cold spell was straight 7 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about 2°F on February 20, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs December to February, 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 Nov 14 and end around Mar 28.
Rainfall is about average for Maryland. About 9.4 days a year bring an inch or more (11th of 23), most often in August, out of 44.3 inches of total precipitation. On July 22, 2018, 4.57 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.91 inches, ending July 24, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 65 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
Roughly 28% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Charles among the newer housing stocks of Maryland's 23 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 35% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 37% 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.
Beyond water
About 83 nights a year in Charles County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (5th of 23 counties). July is the wettest month. 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 Charles County's occupied homes: 26% utility gas, 55% electric, 4% propane and 2% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Charles County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Prince George's gets more pipe-freeze nights than Charles. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Prince George's County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Charles | Maryland median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 9.1% | 20% | 22 of 23 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 28% | 44% | 23 of 23 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 35% | 23% | 2 of 23 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 0.8% | 2.6% | 17 of 23 |
| Vacant homes | 4.6% | 7.7% | 18 of 23 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.8% | 9.3% | 17 of 23 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 10/yr | 12/yr | 15 of 23 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.4/yr | 9.3/yr | 11 of 23 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 65/yr | 70/yr | 16 of 23 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 83/yr | 76/yr | 5 of 23 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Maryland county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Charles County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in July, August and December.
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