Amelia County, Virginia · Amelia Court House
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Amelia County averages 13 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 10.5 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
14% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Amelia County, 4.96 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
16% of occupied homes in Amelia County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Virginia county median of 11.9%.
With 77 muggy nights a year, mold in Amelia County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 5,815 homes and around 13,462 residents, Amelia County is 355 square miles of southeast Virginia. The county seat is Amelia Court House. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1993.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Amelia County ranks 57 of 95 Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Amelia County ranks highest compared with other Virginia counties.
For frozen pipes, Amelia County is a typical Virginia county, which is still plenty. It averaged 78 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 13 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 95 Virginia counties that's 50th.
The longest cold spell was straight 4 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -5°F on January 7, 2018. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs December to February, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 7 and the last spring freeze around Apr 6.
Rainfall is about average for Virginia. Of roughly 47.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 10.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 35th of 95. May, September and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.96 inches, October 12, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.27 inches (through May 19, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 75 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
Virginia's 95 counties range widely in housing age; Amelia ranks 75th, with 31% of its homes built before 1980.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 39% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 30% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 19% 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
About 77 nights a year in Amelia County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (31st of 95 counties). August is the wettest month. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Amelia County's occupied homes: 3% utility gas, 75% electric, 10% propane and 6% wood. Wood heat is above the Virginia norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Amelia County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cumberland and Powhatan get more pipe-freeze nights than Amelia. Nottoway County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Amelia | Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 20% | 71 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 31% | 46% | 75 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 39% | 25% | 15 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 9.6% | 17 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 6.8% | 15% | 75 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 12% | 33 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 13/yr | 14/yr | 50 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 10/yr | 35 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 75/yr | 77/yr | 53 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 77/yr | 64/yr | 31 of 95 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Virginia county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Amelia County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in May, September and October.
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