Chariton County, Missouri · Keytesville
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Pipes freeze in Chariton County on about 35 nights a year, mostly November to February. Older homes, 40% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Chariton County averages 8.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Chariton County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 78 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
35% of occupied homes in Chariton County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 66 times a year in Chariton County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Chariton County covers 751 square miles of northern Missouri, with about 7,390 residents and 3,788 homes. Keytesville is the county seat; Salisbury, Brunswick and Mendon are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1968, half after.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Chariton County ranks 20 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Chariton County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Chariton County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Missouri. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 35 nights a year at or below 20°F (29th of 114) and 102 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.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November 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 11.
Chariton gets fewer downpours than most Missouri counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 38.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 8.4 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 99th of 114. June, July and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.55 inches, June 25, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.31 inches, ending June 30, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 78 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; Chariton ranks 13th, with 69% of its homes built before 1980.
40% 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.
Here 8% 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.
29% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 66 times a year here, close to the Missouri county median of 64.5. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Chariton County's occupied homes: 26% utility gas, 38% electric, 30% propane and 6% wood. Propane 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 Chariton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Linn, Livingston and Macon get more pipe-freeze nights than Chariton. Carroll County has the oldest housing nearby, with 77% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Chariton | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 40% | 25% | 12 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 69% | 53% | 13 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 21% | 106 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.3% | 9.8% | 75 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 29% | 15% | 13 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 35% | 25% | 32 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 35/yr | 28/yr | 29 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.4/yr | 10/yr | 99 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 78/yr | 77/yr | 48 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 66/yr | 65/yr | 50 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 Chariton County: freezing from November to February, 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