DeKalb County, Missouri · Maysville
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With 25% of homes built before 1960 and about 44 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in August. DeKalb County averages 9.9 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in DeKalb County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
DeKalb County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 5.59 inches, and about 89 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
36% of occupied homes in DeKalb County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
With 48 muggy nights a year, mold in DeKalb County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 10,876 people live in DeKalb County, 421 square miles in northwest Missouri, in roughly 4,270 homes. Maysville is the county seat; Stewartsville, Union Star and Osborn are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1982.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated DeKalb County ranks 47 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where DeKalb County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
DeKalb is on the colder side of Missouri for pipes. It averaged 116 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 44 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 11th.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -16°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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 13.
Rainfall is about average for Missouri. About 9.9 days a year bring an inch or more (63rd of 114), most often in August, out of 39.2 inches of total precipitation. On June 25, 2021, 5.59 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.63 inches (through June 26, 2021).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 89 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
48% of homes in DeKalb County predate 1980, below the Missouri county median of 53%, which ranks 73rd of Missouri's 114 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 25% predate 1960 and 23% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 29% 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.
Here 9% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 48 times a year here, below 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In DeKalb County it's 21% utility gas, 39% electric, 29% propane and 7% 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 DeKalb County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Gentry gets more pipe-freeze nights than DeKalb. Buchanan County has the oldest housing nearby, with 71% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | DeKalb | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 25% | 63 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 48% | 53% | 73 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 21% | 42 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.8% | 9.8% | 70 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 15% | 78 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 36% | 25% | 31 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 44/yr | 28/yr | 11 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.9/yr | 10/yr | 63 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 89/yr | 77/yr | 5 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 48/yr | 65/yr | 100 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 DeKalb 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