Hubbard County, Minnesota · Park Rapids
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Hubbard County averages 108 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 20% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Hubbard County averages 3 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Hubbard County spike on heavy-rain days, about 3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 85 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
51% of occupied homes in Hubbard County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Minnesota county median of 30%.
About 5 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
About 21,831 people live in Hubbard County, 926 square miles in northwest Minnesota, in roughly 14,765 homes. Besides Park Rapids, the county seat, the biggest communities are Nevis, Akeley and Lake George. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
35/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Hubbard County ranks 77 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hubbard County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
Hubbard County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Minnesota. It averaged 175 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 108 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 18th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 60 days below freezing (ending March 2019), and the low bottomed out near -41°F on January 31, 2019.
The freeze season here runs November to April, 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 9 and end around May 10.
Hubbard gets fewer downpours than most Minnesota counties, but they still fill basements. About 3 days a year bring an inch or more (79th of 87), most often in June, out of 24.8 inches of total precipitation. On June 17, 2018, 2.42 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.24 inches, ending July 12, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 85 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
Minnesota's 87 counties range widely in housing age; Hubbard ranks 70th, with 44% of its homes built before 1980.
29% 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.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 28% 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.
With 39% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 5 times a year here, below the Minnesota county median of 13. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Hubbard County it's 17% utility gas, 27% electric, 41% propane and 11% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Minnesota norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Hubbard County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Becker, Beltrami and Clearwater get more pipe-freeze nights than Hubbard. Wadena County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hubbard | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 20% | 34% | 72 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 44% | 58% | 70 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29% | 21% | 21 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.4% | 3.8% | 10 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 39% | 11% | 5 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 51% | 30% | 9 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 108/yr | 89/yr | 18 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3/yr | 5.3/yr | 79 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 85/yr | 86/yr | 54 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 5/yr | 13/yr | 66 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 Hubbard County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in June, August 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