Clay County, Minnesota · Moorhead
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Pipes freeze in Clay County on about 106 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 24% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 4.1 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Clay County gets about 4.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Clay County, 2.29 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
11% of occupied homes in Clay County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Minnesota county median of 30%.
With 8 muggy nights a year, mold in Clay County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 66,059 people live in Clay County, 1,045 square miles in western Minnesota, in roughly 27,559 homes. Moorhead is the county seat; Dilworth, Barnesville and Hawley are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1981.
43/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Clay County ranks 60 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clay County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
Clay is on the colder side of Minnesota for pipes. It averaged 172 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 106 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 87 Minnesota counties that's 19th.
On January 30, 2019 the low fell to about -34°F, and in the stretch ending March 2019 the county went 63 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to April, 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 Oct 8 and the last spring freeze around May 7.
Clay gets fewer downpours than most Minnesota counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 23.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.1 days of an inch or more (62nd of 87). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.29 inches on July 9, 2019. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.62 inches (through July 12, 2016).
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
Minnesota's 87 counties range widely in housing age; Clay ranks 62nd, with 50% of its homes built before 1980.
33% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Minnesota. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
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 8 times a year here, below the Minnesota county median of 13. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Clay County homes break down as 51% utility gas, 33% electric, 10% propane and 1% 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 Clay County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Becker and Norman get more pipe-freeze nights than Clay. Norman County has the oldest housing nearby, with 77% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clay | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 24% | 34% | 65 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 50% | 58% | 62 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 33% | 21% | 8 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.2% | 3.8% | 67 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 4.1% | 11% | 82 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 30% | 78 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 106/yr | 89/yr | 19 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.1/yr | 5.3/yr | 62 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 84/yr | 86/yr | 63 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 8/yr | 13/yr | 60 of 87 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Minnesota county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Clay County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in June, July and August.
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