Faribault County, Minnesota · Blue Earth
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Faribault County averages 79 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 62% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Faribault County averages 6.8 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Faribault County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 90 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
39% of occupied homes in Faribault County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Minnesota county median of 30%.
With 23 muggy nights a year, mold in Faribault County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 13,914 people live in Faribault County, 712 square miles in southern Minnesota, in roughly 6,897 homes. Besides Blue Earth, the county seat, the biggest communities are Wells, Winnebago and Minnesota Lake. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1952.
70/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Faribault County ranks 3 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Faribault County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Minnesota, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 155 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 79 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 71st.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 19 days below freezing (ending February 2019), and the low bottomed out near -28°F on January 31, 2019.
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 13 and end around May 1.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Minnesota. Of roughly 34.7 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6.8 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 15th of 87. May, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.22 inches, September 22, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.51 inches, ending June 23, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 90 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; Faribault ranks 1st, with 86% of its homes built before 1980.
In Faribault County 62% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
Beyond water
Faribault County averages 23 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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 Faribault County's occupied homes: 46% utility gas, 10% electric, 38% propane and 2% wood. Propane heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Faribault County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Martin and Waseca get more pipe-freeze nights than Faribault. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Faribault | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 62% | 34% | 1 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 86% | 58% | 1 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 5.1% | 21% | 87 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.2% | 3.8% | 82 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 11% | 40 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 39% | 30% | 23 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 79/yr | 89/yr | 71 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.8/yr | 5.3/yr | 15 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 86/yr | 13 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 23/yr | 13/yr | 3 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 Faribault County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June 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