Augusta County, Virginia · Staunton
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With 17% of homes built before 1960 and about 22 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Augusta County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 90 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
23% of occupied homes in Augusta County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Virginia county median of 11.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 22 times a year in Augusta County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Augusta County covers 967 square miles of central Virginia, with about 78,033 residents and 33,111 homes. The county seat is Staunton, and Stuarts Draft, Fishersville and Verona round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1989.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Augusta County ranks 61 of 95 Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Augusta County ranks highest compared with other Virginia counties.
Augusta County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Virginia. It averaged 98 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 22 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 16th.
The longest cold spell was straight 8 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -3°F on February 20, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 31 and end around Apr 20.
Rainfall is about average for Virginia. The county gets about 44.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 9 days of an inch or more (62nd of 95). Those downpours cluster in April, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.11 inches on August 9, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.49 inches, ending August 10, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 90 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
Virginia's 95 counties range widely in housing age; Augusta ranks 65th, with 37% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 17% predate 1960 and 27% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 36% 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 9% 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
Augusta County averages 22 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in September. 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 Augusta County's occupied homes: 12% utility gas, 53% electric, 16% propane and 7% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Virginia 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 Augusta County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bath, Highland and Rockingham get more pipe-freeze nights than Augusta. Highland County has the oldest housing nearby, with 60% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Augusta | Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 17% | 20% | 64 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 37% | 46% | 65 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 25% | 40 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9% | 9.6% | 54 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 6.1% | 15% | 79 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 23% | 12% | 11 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 22/yr | 14/yr | 16 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9/yr | 10/yr | 62 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 77/yr | 14 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 22/yr | 64/yr | 76 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 Augusta County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, June 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