Caldwell County, Missouri · Kingston
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With 34% of homes built before 1960 and about 39 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in August. Caldwell County averages 10.2 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
34% 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.
Caldwell County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 6.06 inches, and about 85 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
48% of occupied homes in Caldwell County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
With 54 muggy nights a year, mold in Caldwell County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Caldwell County covers 426 square miles of northwest Missouri, with about 8,927 residents and 4,275 homes. Kingston is the county seat; Hamilton, Braymer and Kidder are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1974, half after.
61/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Caldwell County ranks 19 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Caldwell County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Caldwell County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Missouri. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 39 nights a year at or below 20°F (22nd of 114) and 111 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 15, 2024 the low fell to about -13°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 15 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 24 and end around Apr 13.
Rainfall is about average for Missouri. About 10.2 days a year bring an inch or more (58th of 114), most often in August, out of 38.2 inches of total precipitation. On June 25, 2021, 6.06 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.15 inches, ending June 27, 2021, 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
62% of homes in Caldwell County predate 1980, above the Missouri county median of 53%, which ranks 33rd of Missouri's 114 counties.
Before 1960 is when 34% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
12% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Missouri county median of 9.8%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
About 54 nights a year in Caldwell County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (88th of 114 counties). August is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Caldwell County homes break down as 13% utility gas, 34% electric, 41% propane and 8% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Missouri counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Caldwell County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Daviess and DeKalb get more pipe-freeze nights than Caldwell. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Carroll County has the oldest housing nearby, with 77% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Caldwell | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 25% | 31 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 53% | 33 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 21% | 58 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 9.8% | 35 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 15% | 83 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 48% | 25% | 9 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 39/yr | 28/yr | 22 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 10/yr | 58 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 85/yr | 77/yr | 23 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 54/yr | 65/yr | 88 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 Caldwell County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, 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