Schuyler County, Missouri · Lancaster
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Schuyler County averages 47 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 45% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 8.5 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Schuyler County gets about 8.5 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 89 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
39% of occupied homes in Schuyler County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
About 43 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
About 4,038 people live in Schuyler County, 307 square miles in northern Missouri, in roughly 1,899 homes. The county seat is Lancaster, and Queen City, Greentop and Downing round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1964.
62/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Schuyler County ranks 15 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Schuyler County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Schuyler is on the colder side of Missouri for pipes. It averaged 121 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 47 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 4th.
The longest cold spell was straight 16 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -18°F on January 2, 2018. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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 23 and the last spring freeze around Apr 20.
Schuyler gets fewer downpours than most Missouri counties, but they still fill basements. About 8.5 days a year bring an inch or more (96th of 114), most often in August, out of 39 inches of total precipitation. On May 29, 2019, 4.17 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.47 inches (through June 25, 2015).
About 89 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
69% of homes in Schuyler County predate 1980, above the Missouri county median of 53%, which ranks 10th of Missouri's 114 counties.
45% 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.
10% 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 31% 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
About 43 nights a year in Schuyler County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (110th 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, Schuyler County homes break down as 20% utility gas, 41% electric, 32% propane and 7% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Schuyler County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Putnam gets more pipe-freeze nights than Schuyler. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Schuyler | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 25% | 5 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 69% | 53% | 10 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 21% | 85 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.8% | 9.8% | 57 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 31% | 15% | 11 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 39% | 25% | 23 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 47/yr | 28/yr | 4 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.5/yr | 10/yr | 96 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 89/yr | 77/yr | 5 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 43/yr | 65/yr | 110 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 Schuyler County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, August and September.
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