Clay County, Missouri · Liberty
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Pipes freeze in Clay County on about 34 nights a year, mostly November to February. Older homes, 18% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 8.1 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Clay County gets about 8.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Clay County, 4.6 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
4% of occupied homes in Clay County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
With 66 muggy nights a year, mold in Clay County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 258,122 people live in Clay County, 398 square miles in northwest Missouri, in roughly 107,719 homes. Liberty is the county seat; Gladstone, Kearney and Smithville are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1987.
38/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Clay County ranks 98 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clay County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Clay is on the colder side of Missouri for pipes. It averaged 102 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 34 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 114 Missouri counties that's 32nd.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -15°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.
Most freezing nights fall from November 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 12.
Clay gets fewer downpours than most Missouri counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 36.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.1 days of an inch or more (106th of 114). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.6 inches on August 22, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.59 inches (through October 9, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 83 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
Missouri's 114 counties range widely in housing age; Clay ranks 93rd, with 42% of its homes built before 1980.
33% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Missouri. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
About 25% 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.
Renters occupy 31% 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
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 expectBy main heating fuel, Clay County homes break down as 67% utility gas, 29% electric, 3% propane and under 1% 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 Clay County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Clinton and Ray get more pipe-freeze nights than Clay. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Jackson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 64% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clay | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 25% | 89 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 42% | 53% | 93 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 33% | 21% | 12 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.8% | 9.8% | 111 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 5.2% | 15% | 111 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.6% | 25% | 111 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 34/yr | 28/yr | 32 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.1/yr | 10/yr | 106 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 83/yr | 77/yr | 28 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 Clay County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in May, June 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