Martin County, Minnesota · Fairmont
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With 50% of homes built before 1960 and about 81 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.4 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
50% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Martin County, 3.11 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
21% of occupied homes in Martin County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Minnesota county median of 30%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 20 times a year in Martin County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Martin County covers 712 square miles of southern Minnesota, with about 19,780 residents and 9,729 homes. Fairmont is the county seat; Truman, Sherburn and Welcome are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1960.
66/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Martin County ranks 10 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Martin County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
Martin County is milder than most of Minnesota, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 81 nights a year at or below 20°F (61st of 87) and 154 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 30, 2019 the low fell to about -28°F, and in the stretch ending March 2019 the county went 33 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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 16 and the last spring freeze around Apr 27.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Minnesota. About 6.4 days a year bring an inch or more (18th of 87), most often in June, out of 33.7 inches of total precipitation. On June 22, 2024, 3.11 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.77 inches (through June 23, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 87 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
Roughly 77% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Martin among the oldest housing stocks of Minnesota's 87 counties.
50% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
Renters occupy 31% 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
Martin County averages 20 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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, Martin County homes break down as 61% utility gas, 16% electric, 21% propane and under 1% 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 Martin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Jackson gets more pipe-freeze nights than Martin. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Faribault County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Martin | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 50% | 34% | 15 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 77% | 58% | 9 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9% | 21% | 80 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.3% | 3.8% | 65 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 9.1% | 11% | 53 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 21% | 30% | 61 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 81/yr | 89/yr | 61 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.4/yr | 5.3/yr | 18 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 87/yr | 86/yr | 37 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 20/yr | 13/yr | 14 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 Martin County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June 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