Monroe County, Missouri · Paris
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Monroe County averages 36 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to February, and 33% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 8.2 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Monroe County gets about 8.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Monroe County, 3.03 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
27% of occupied homes in Monroe County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
About 58 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Monroe County covers 648 square miles of northern Missouri, with about 8,734 residents and 4,467 homes. Paris is the county seat; Monroe City, Madison and Holliday are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1976, half after.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Monroe County ranks 57 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Monroe County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Monroe County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Missouri. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 36 nights a year at or below 20°F (28th of 114) and 105 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 15 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -14°F on January 15, 2024. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 25 and end around Apr 12.
Monroe gets fewer downpours than most Missouri counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 38.3 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 8.2 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 104th of 114. May, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.03 inches, April 30, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.18 inches, ending May 1, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 80 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
Roughly 55% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Monroe near the middle of Missouri's 114 counties.
33% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
25% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Here 18% 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.
22% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 58 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 Monroe County it's 29% utility gas, 42% electric, 25% propane and 3% wood. Propane heat is above the Missouri norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Monroe County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Marion and Shelby get more pipe-freeze nights than Monroe. Audrain County has the oldest housing nearby, with 65% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Monroe | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 33% | 25% | 33 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 55% | 53% | 52 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 21% | 63 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 9.8% | 12 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 22% | 15% | 25 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 25% | 55 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 36/yr | 28/yr | 28 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.2/yr | 10/yr | 104 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 80/yr | 77/yr | 40 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 58/yr | 65/yr | 78 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 Monroe County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in May, June and July.
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