Pike County, Missouri · Bowling Green
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Pike County averages 32 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to February, and 35% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 8.9 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Pike County gets about 8.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 76 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
22% of occupied homes in Pike 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 59 times a year in Pike County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 17,711 people live in Pike County, 670 square miles in northeast Missouri, in roughly 7,620 homes. The county seat is Bowling Green, and Louisiana, Frankford and Eolia round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1971.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Pike County ranks 39 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pike County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Pike is on the colder side of Missouri for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 32 nights a year at or below 20°F (37th of 114) and 99 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 15, 2024 the low fell to about -13°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 14 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 31 and the last spring freeze around Apr 12.
Pike gets fewer downpours than most Missouri counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 40.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.9 days of an inch or more (83rd of 114). Those downpours cluster in May, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.8 inches on April 30, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.36 inches (through June 27, 2021).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 76 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
Missouri's 114 counties range widely in housing age; Pike ranks 28th, with 63% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 35% 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.
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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 59 times a year here, close to the Missouri county median of 64.5. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Pike County's occupied homes: 30% utility gas, 48% electric, 18% propane and 3% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Pike County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Audrain and Ralls get more pipe-freeze nights than Pike. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Audrain County has the oldest housing nearby, with 65% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pike | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 35% | 25% | 26 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 63% | 53% | 28 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 21% | 77 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 9.8% | 28 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 15% | 55 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 25% | 69 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 32/yr | 28/yr | 37 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.9/yr | 10/yr | 83 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 76/yr | 77/yr | 61 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 59/yr | 65/yr | 73 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 Pike 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