Miller County, Missouri · Tuscumbia
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With 14% of homes built before 1960 and about 23 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
August brings the most downpours to Miller County, part of 9.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Miller County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Miller County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.39 inches, and about 70 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
22% of occupied homes in Miller 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 75 times a year in Miller County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 12,541 homes and around 25,269 residents, Miller County is 593 square miles of central Missouri. The county seat is Tuscumbia, and Eldon, Lake Ozark and Iberia round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
34/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Miller County ranks 110 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Miller County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Miller County is milder than most of Missouri, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 82 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 23 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 79th.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -9°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 13 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December 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 Nov 2 and the last spring freeze around Apr 6.
Rainfall is about average for Missouri. About 9.3 days a year bring an inch or more (74th of 114), most often in August, out of 41.5 inches of total precipitation. On December 27, 2015, 4.39 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.33 inches (through December 29, 2015).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 70 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
41% of homes in Miller County predate 1980, below the Missouri county median of 53%, which ranks 97th of Missouri's 114 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 29% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 30% 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.
11% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, close to 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.
With 21% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Miller County averages 75 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 expectMain heating fuel in Miller County's occupied homes: 9% utility gas, 68% electric, 15% propane and 7% 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 Miller County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cole, Maries, Moniteau, Morgan and Osage get more pipe-freeze nights than Miller. Moniteau County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Miller | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 25% | 101 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 41% | 53% | 97 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29% | 21% | 18 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 9.8% | 47 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 21% | 15% | 30 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 25% | 67 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 23/yr | 28/yr | 79 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.3/yr | 10/yr | 74 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 70/yr | 77/yr | 99 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 75/yr | 65/yr | 14 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 Miller 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