Morrison County, Minnesota · Little Falls
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Morrison County averages 94 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 33% of its homes predate 1960.
August brings the most downpours to Morrison County, part of 4.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
33% 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 Morrison County, 3.8 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
39% of occupied homes in Morrison County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Minnesota county median of 30%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 9 times a year in Morrison County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Morrison County covers 1,125 square miles of central Minnesota, with about 34,249 residents and 16,256 homes. Besides Little Falls, the county seat, the biggest communities are Pierz, Royalton and Randall. The county's median home was built in 1977.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Morrison County ranks 49 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Morrison County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
For frozen pipes, Morrison County is a typical Minnesota county, which is still plenty. It averaged 164 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 94 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 34th.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -36°F, and in the stretch ending March 2019 the county went 60 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 13 and the last spring freeze around May 3.
Rainfall is about average for Minnesota. Of roughly 29.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 4.8 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 56th of 87. June, July and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.8 inches, July 12, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.06 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
54% of homes in Morrison County predate 1980, close to the Minnesota county median of 58.4%, which ranks 52nd of Minnesota's 87 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 33% predate 1960 and 24% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 23% 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.
With 13% 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 9 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Morrison County it's 39% utility gas, 14% electric, 28% propane and 11% wood. Wood 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 Morrison County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cass, Crow Wing and Todd get more pipe-freeze nights than Morrison. Todd County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Morrison | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 33% | 34% | 46 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 54% | 58% | 52 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 24% | 21% | 33 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.5% | 3.8% | 24 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 11% | 32 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 39% | 30% | 24 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 94/yr | 89/yr | 34 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.8/yr | 5.3/yr | 56 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 84/yr | 86/yr | 63 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 9/yr | 13/yr | 57 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 Morrison 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