Cass County, Missouri · Harrisonville
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With 11% of homes built before 1960 and about 28 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 10.4 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Cass County gets about 10.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Cass County, 5.18 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
11% of occupied homes in Cass County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 72 times a year in Cass County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Cass County covers 697 square miles of western Missouri, with about 110,773 residents and 45,834 homes. The county seat is Harrisonville, and Belton, Raymore and Pleasant Hill round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1992.
43/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Cass County ranks 80 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Cass County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Cass County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 28 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 94 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 54th of 114 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 14 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -13°F on February 16, 2021.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 27 and end around Apr 7.
Rainfall is about average for Missouri. Of roughly 42.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 10.4 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 55th of 114. May, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 5.18 inches, August 22, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.55 inches, ending October 9, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 77 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
Missouri's 114 counties range widely in housing age; Cass ranks 104th, with 34% of its homes built before 1980.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 35% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 31% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 72 times a year here, above the Missouri county median of 64.5. 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 Cass County it's 55% utility gas, 33% electric, 9% propane and 2% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Cass County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Jackson and Johnson get more pipe-freeze nights than Cass. Jackson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 64% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Cass | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 11% | 25% | 104 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 34% | 53% | 104 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 35% | 21% | 9 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.7% | 9.8% | 100 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 5.7% | 15% | 110 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 25% | 99 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 28/yr | 28/yr | 54 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 10/yr | 55 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 77/yr | 77/yr | 55 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 72/yr | 65/yr | 22 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 Cass County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in May, June and July.
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