Dare County, North Carolina · Manteo
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Dare County averages 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 6% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.3 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Dare County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 22 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Dare County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the North Carolina county median of 11.7%.
With 126 muggy nights a year, mold in Dare County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Dare County covers 383 square miles of northeast North Carolina, with about 37,875 residents and 35,278 homes. The county seat is Manteo, and Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk and Nags Head round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1988.
33/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Dare County ranks 90 of 100 North Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dare County ranks highest compared with other North Carolina counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for North Carolina, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 24 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 2 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 100 North Carolina counties that's 91st.
On February 21, 2015 the low fell to about 12°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 3 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 24 nights a year at or below 32°F, and that's exactly why they do damage: pipes in attics, exterior walls and slab-edge plumbing are rarely insulated. The coldest night in the record was about 12°F on February 21, 2015.
Rainfall is about average for North Carolina. The county gets about 51.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 12.3 days of an inch or more (40th of 100). Those downpours cluster in July, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 5.29 inches on October 9, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.65 inches, ending October 9, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 22 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
24% of homes in Dare County predate 1980, below the North Carolina county median of 41.2%, which ranks 90th of North Carolina's 100 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 6% predate 1960 and 26% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
50% 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.
With 52% 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 126 nights a year in Dare County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (1st of 100 counties). July is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Dare County homes break down as 1% utility gas, 93% electric, 5% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Dare County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Currituck gets more pipe-freeze nights than Dare. Tyrrell County has the oldest housing nearby, with 51% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dare | North Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 6% | 18% | 97 of 100 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 24% | 41% | 90 of 100 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 26% | 48 of 100 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.3% | 17% | 94 of 100 |
| Vacant homes | 52% | 13% | 1 of 100 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.9% | 12% | 88 of 100 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 5/yr | 91 of 100 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 40 of 100 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 22/yr | 57/yr | 98 of 100 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 126/yr | 89/yr | 1 of 100 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest North Carolina county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Dare County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in July, 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