Pulaski County, Missouri · Waynesville
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Pipes freeze in Pulaski County on about 23 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 11% of the stock here, are most at risk.
April brings the most downpours to Pulaski County, part of 10.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Pulaski County spike on heavy-rain days, about 10.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Pulaski County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.84 inches, and about 73 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
17% of occupied homes in Pulaski County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
With 68 muggy nights a year, mold in Pulaski County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 53,894 people live in Pulaski County, 547 square miles in central Missouri, in roughly 19,431 homes. The county seat is Waynesville, and Fort Leonard Wood, St. Robert and Richland round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1994.
33/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Pulaski County ranks 112 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pulaski County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Pulaski County is milder than most of Missouri, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 23 nights a year at or below 20°F (79th of 114) and 84 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 12 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -9°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December 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 26 and the last spring freeze around Apr 7.
Rainfall is about average for Missouri. About 10.3 days a year bring an inch or more (56th of 114), most often in April, out of 44.6 inches of total precipitation. On December 27, 2015, 4.84 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.39 inches (through December 29, 2015).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 73 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
30% of homes in Pulaski County predate 1980, below the Missouri county median of 53%, which ranks 107th of Missouri's 114 counties.
42% 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.
28% 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 10% 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.
Renters occupy 39% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 68 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Pulaski County it's 8% utility gas, 73% electric, 14% 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 Pulaski County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Laclede, Maries and Phelps get more pipe-freeze nights than Pulaski. Texas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pulaski | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 11% | 25% | 106 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 30% | 53% | 107 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 42% | 21% | 4 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.8% | 9.8% | 57 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 15% | 73 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 25% | 81 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 23/yr | 28/yr | 79 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 10/yr | 56 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 73/yr | 77/yr | 81 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 68/yr | 65/yr | 37 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 Pulaski County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in March, April 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