Butler County, Missouri · Poplar Bluff
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Pipes freeze in Butler County on about 13 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 18% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in March. Butler County averages 14.5 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
18% 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.
Butler County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.32 inches, and about 64 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
13% of occupied homes in Butler County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
About 88 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 42,020 people live in Butler County, 695 square miles in southeast Missouri, in roughly 19,303 homes. Besides Poplar Bluff, the county seat, the biggest communities are Qulin, Fisk and Neelyville. Half the homes here were built before 1981, half after.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Butler County ranks 70 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Butler County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Missouri, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 13 nights a year at or below 20°F (110th of 114) and 72 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 10 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -2°F on February 16, 2021.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 7 and end around Mar 28.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Missouri. About 14.5 days a year bring an inch or more (2nd of 114), most often in March, out of 54.3 inches of total precipitation. On April 30, 2017, 4.32 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.9 inches, ending August 16, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 64 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 48% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Butler near the middle of Missouri's 114 counties.
The mix runs from 18% built before 1960 to 23% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 29% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Here 12% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Renters occupy 35% 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
Butler County averages 88 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 Butler County's occupied homes: 19% utility gas, 68% electric, 11% propane and 2% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Butler County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Carter, Ripley, Stoddard and Wayne get more pipe-freeze nights than Butler. Dunklin County has the oldest housing nearby, with 68% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Butler | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 25% | 89 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 48% | 53% | 75 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 21% | 46 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 9.8% | 41 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 15% | 68 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 25% | 94 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 13/yr | 28/yr | 110 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 10/yr | 2 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 64/yr | 77/yr | 108 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 88/yr | 65/yr | 6 of 114 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Missouri county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Butler County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in March, April and May.
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