St. Francois County, Missouri · Farmington
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Pipes freeze in St. Francois County on about 28 nights a year, mostly November to February. Older homes, 26% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.8 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which St. Francois County gets about 11.8 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 82 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
7% of occupied homes in St. Francois County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
About 54 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
St. Francois County covers 452 square miles of eastern Missouri, with about 66,999 residents and 28,945 homes. Besides Farmington, the county seat, the biggest communities are Park Hills, Bonne Terre and Desloge. The county's median home was built in 1983.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated St. Francois County ranks 54 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where St. Francois County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
For frozen pipes, St. Francois County is a typical Missouri county, which is still plenty. It averaged 95 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 28 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 54th.
On December 24, 2022 the low fell to about -7°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 12 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 23 and the last spring freeze around Apr 12.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Missouri. About 11.8 days a year bring an inch or more (36th of 114), most often in May, out of 48.3 inches of total precipitation. On April 30, 2017, 4.56 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.01 inches (through May 1, 2017).
About 82 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
47% of homes in St. Francois County predate 1980, below the Missouri county median of 53%, which ranks 81st of Missouri's 114 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 26% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 27% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
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 32% 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 54 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 St. Francois County it's 21% utility gas, 71% electric, 5% propane and 2% 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 St. Francois County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Iron and Washington get more pipe-freeze nights than St. Francois. Iron County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | St. Francois | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 26% | 25% | 53 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 53% | 81 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 21% | 32 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 10% | 9.8% | 49 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 15% | 64 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.3% | 25% | 107 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 28/yr | 28/yr | 54 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 10/yr | 36 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 82/yr | 77/yr | 32 of 114 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 54/yr | 65/yr | 88 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 St. Francois County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in March, April and May.
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