Crawford County, Missouri · Steelville
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With 18% of homes built before 1960 and about 30 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Crawford County, part of 11.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
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.
Crawford County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.95 inches, and about 88 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
39% of occupied homes in Crawford County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
With 42 muggy nights a year, mold in Crawford County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 22,797 people live in Crawford County, 742 square miles in eastern Missouri, in roughly 11,416 homes. The county seat is Steelville, and Cuba, Bourbon and Indian Lake round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1981, half after.
41/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Crawford County ranks 90 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Crawford County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Crawford County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 30 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 101 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 44th of 114 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 12 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -9°F on December 23, 2022.
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 21 and end around Apr 15.
Rainfall is about average for Missouri. The county gets about 46.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 11.7 days of an inch or more (39th of 114). Those downpours cluster in April, May and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.95 inches on November 5, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.97 inches, ending November 6, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 88 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
48% of homes in Crawford County predate 1980, below the Missouri county median of 53%, which ranks 71st 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.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 28% 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.
14% 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.
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
About 42 nights a year in Crawford County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (111th of 114 counties). May 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 expectMain heating fuel in Crawford County's occupied homes: 10% utility gas, 50% electric, 26% propane and 13% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Crawford County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crawford gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Iron County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Crawford | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 25% | 89 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 48% | 53% | 71 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 21% | 42 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 9.8% | 25 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 15% | 53 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 39% | 25% | 24 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 30/yr | 28/yr | 44 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 10/yr | 39 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 88/yr | 77/yr | 8 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 42/yr | 65/yr | 111 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 Crawford County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in April, May 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