Carroll County, Virginia · Hillsville
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Carroll County averages 19 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 23% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.3 times a year here, most often in October. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Carroll County gets about 12.3 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 86 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
18% of occupied homes in Carroll County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Virginia county median of 11.9%.
About 12 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
About 29,157 people live in Carroll County, 475 square miles in southwest Virginia, in roughly 16,696 homes. The county seat is Hillsville, and Woodlawn, Cana and Fancy Gap round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1981.
66/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Carroll County ranks 3 of 95 Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Carroll County ranks highest compared with other Virginia counties.
Carroll is on the colder side of Virginia for pipes. It averaged 93 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 19 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 26th.
On December 24, 2022 the low fell to about -3°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 8 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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 28 and the last spring freeze around Apr 17.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Virginia. About 12.3 days a year bring an inch or more (6th of 95), most often in October, out of 54 inches of total precipitation. On September 17, 2018, 3.43 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.61 inches (through September 28, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 86 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
Roughly 48% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Carroll near the middle of Virginia's 95 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 23% of homes are pre-1960 and 23% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
About 29% 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.
Here 21% 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.
The Census counted 25% of homes as vacant, above the Virginia county median of 15%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Carroll County averages 12 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 Carroll County it's 2% utility gas, 70% electric, 8% propane and 10% wood. Wood heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Carroll County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Floyd, Grayson, Pulaski and Wythe get more pipe-freeze nights than Carroll. Pulaski County has the oldest housing nearby, with 60% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Carroll | Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 20% | 36 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 48% | 46% | 38 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 25% | 59 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 21% | 9.6% | 13 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 25% | 15% | 15 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 12% | 26 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 19/yr | 14/yr | 26 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 10/yr | 6 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 86/yr | 77/yr | 21 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 12/yr | 64/yr | 86 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 Carroll County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, 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