Howard County, Missouri · Fayette
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Pipes freeze in Howard County on about 31 nights a year, mostly November to February. Older homes, 36% of the stock here, are most at risk.
July brings the most downpours to Howard County, part of 8.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Howard County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Howard County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.87 inches, and about 73 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
26% of occupied homes in Howard County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 70 times a year in Howard County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Howard County covers 464 square miles of northern Missouri, with about 10,147 residents and 4,374 homes. Fayette is the county seat; New Franklin, Glasgow and Armstrong are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1974.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Howard County ranks 31 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Howard County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
For frozen pipes, Howard County is a typical Missouri county, which is still plenty. It averaged 94 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 31 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 40th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 14 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -11°F on January 15, 2024.
The freeze season here runs November to February, 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 Nov 2 and the last spring freeze around Apr 10.
Howard gets fewer downpours than most Missouri counties, but they still fill basements. About 8.3 days a year bring an inch or more (103rd of 114), most often in July, out of 39 inches of total precipitation. On July 3, 2016, 4.87 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.7 inches (through July 5, 2024).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 73 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; Howard ranks 45th, with 57% of its homes built before 1980.
In Howard County 36% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 22% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 13% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
18% 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
Howard County averages 70 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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 Howard County's occupied homes: 37% utility gas, 34% electric, 21% propane and 5% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Howard County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Chariton, Randolph and Saline get more pipe-freeze nights than Howard. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Chariton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 69% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Howard | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 36% | 25% | 21 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 57% | 53% | 45 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 21% | 59 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 9.8% | 30 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 15% | 45 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 25% | 56 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 31/yr | 28/yr | 40 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.3/yr | 10/yr | 103 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 73/yr | 77/yr | 81 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 70/yr | 65/yr | 32 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 Howard County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in June, July and September.
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