Jasper County, Missouri · Carthage
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Jasper County averages 20 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 25% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.9 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
25% 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.
In Jasper County, 4.7 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
8% of occupied homes in Jasper County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 77 times a year in Jasper County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 124,357 people live in Jasper County, 639 square miles in southwest Missouri, in roughly 54,480 homes. Carthage is the county seat; Joplin, Webb City and Carl Junction are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Jasper County ranks 60 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jasper County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Jasper County is milder than most of Missouri, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 20 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 80 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 94th 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 -13°F on February 16, 2021.
The freeze season here runs December 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 3 and the last spring freeze around Apr 3.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Missouri. The county gets about 44.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 11.9 days of an inch or more (34th of 114). Those downpours cluster in April, May and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.7 inches on December 27, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.14 inches (through December 29, 2015).
About 69 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
Missouri's 114 counties range widely in housing age; Jasper ranks 86th, with 45% of its homes built before 1980.
32% 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 23% 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 37% 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
Jasper County averages 77 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Jasper County homes break down as 43% utility gas, 48% electric, 6% propane and 2% 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 Jasper County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Barton, Dade and Lawrence get more pipe-freeze nights than Jasper. Dade County has the oldest housing nearby, with 61% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jasper | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 25% | 60 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 53% | 86 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 32% | 21% | 13 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5% | 9.8% | 97 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 9.2% | 15% | 93 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.1% | 25% | 104 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 20/yr | 28/yr | 94 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 10/yr | 34 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 69/yr | 77/yr | 102 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 77/yr | 65/yr | 12 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 Jasper County: freezing from December 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