Pettis County, Missouri · Sedalia
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Pipes freeze in Pettis County on about 31 nights a year, mostly November to February. Older homes, 34% of the stock here, are most at risk.
June brings the most downpours to Pettis County, part of 9.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Pettis County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Pettis County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.59 inches, and about 79 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
15% of occupied homes in Pettis 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 67 times a year in Pettis County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Pettis County covers 682 square miles of central Missouri, with about 43,397 residents and 18,673 homes. Sedalia is the county seat; La Monte, Smithton and Green Ridge are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1974.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Pettis County ranks 23 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pettis County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
For frozen pipes, Pettis County is a typical Missouri county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 31 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 97 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 40th of 114 counties.
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 February 16, 2021.
Most freezing nights fall from November 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 Oct 28 and the last spring freeze around Apr 11.
Rainfall is about average for Missouri. About 9.3 days a year bring an inch or more (74th of 114), most often in June, out of 41.1 inches of total precipitation. On July 3, 2016, 4.59 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.35 inches (through July 4, 2016).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 79 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 59% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Pettis near the middle of Missouri's 114 counties.
Before 1960 is when 34% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
Renters occupy 31% 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
About 67 nights a year in Pettis County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (45th of 114 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Pettis County homes break down as 40% utility gas, 45% electric, 12% propane and 3% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Pettis County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Saline gets more pipe-freeze nights than Pettis. Saline County has the oldest housing nearby, with 68% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pettis | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 25% | 28 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 59% | 53% | 41 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 21% | 64 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.8% | 9.8% | 93 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 9% | 15% | 96 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 25% | 87 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 31/yr | 28/yr | 40 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.3/yr | 10/yr | 74 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 79/yr | 77/yr | 44 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 67/yr | 65/yr | 45 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 Pettis 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