Webster County, Missouri · Marshfield
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Webster County averages 25 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 14% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.2 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Webster County gets about 12.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Webster County, 5.13 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
39% of occupied homes in Webster County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Missouri county median of 24.5%.
With 54 muggy nights a year, mold in Webster County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Webster County covers 593 square miles of southern Missouri, with about 40,500 residents and 15,493 homes. Marshfield is the county seat; Seymour, Fordland and Niangua are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1991.
38/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Webster County ranks 103 of 114 Missouri counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Webster County ranks highest compared with other Missouri counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Webster County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 91 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 25 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 66th.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -13°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 13 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 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 25 and end around Apr 11.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Missouri. The county gets about 49.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 12.2 days of an inch or more (26th of 114). Those downpours cluster in March, April and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 5.13 inches on April 30, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 8.27 inches, ending December 29, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 76 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
36% of homes in Webster County predate 1980, below the Missouri county median of 53%, which ranks 103rd of Missouri's 114 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 33% 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 31% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 10% 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
Webster County averages 54 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Webster County it's 17% utility gas, 42% electric, 28% propane and 11% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Missouri counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Webster County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Dallas gets more pipe-freeze nights than Webster. Wright County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Webster | Missouri median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 25% | 100 of 114 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 36% | 53% | 103 of 114 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 33% | 21% | 11 of 114 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 10% | 9.8% | 49 of 114 |
| Vacant homes | 9.9% | 15% | 92 of 114 |
| Wood or propane heat | 39% | 25% | 21 of 114 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 25/yr | 28/yr | 66 of 114 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 10/yr | 26 of 114 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 76/yr | 77/yr | 61 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 Webster 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