Clarke County, Virginia · Berryville
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Pipes freeze in Clarke County on about 21 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 27% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.4 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 Clarke County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
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.
19% of occupied homes in Clarke 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 44 times a year in Clarke County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Clarke County covers 176 square miles of northeast Virginia, with about 15,216 residents and 6,553 homes. Berryville is the county seat; Boyce and Shenandoah Retreat are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1980, half after.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Clarke County ranks 38 of 95 Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clarke County ranks highest compared with other Virginia counties.
Clarke County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Virginia. From 2015–2024 it averaged 21 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 95 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 20th of 95 counties.
On February 24, 2015 the low fell to about 0°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 12 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 November to March. 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 31 and end around Apr 12.
Clarke gets fewer downpours than most Virginia counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 41.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 7.4 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 91st of 95. May, June and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.27 inches, August 9, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.11 inches, ending August 9, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
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
Virginia's 95 counties range widely in housing age; Clarke ranks 29th, with 50% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 27% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
About 23% 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.
Beyond water
About 44 nights a year in Clarke County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (64th of 95 counties). May 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Clarke County it's 15% utility gas, 53% electric, 10% propane and 9% wood. Wood heat is 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 Clarke County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Frederick and Warren get more pipe-freeze nights than Clarke. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clarke | Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 20% | 22 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 50% | 46% | 29 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 25% | 39 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.4% | 9.6% | 85 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 10% | 15% | 65 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 12% | 22 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 21/yr | 14/yr | 20 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.4/yr | 10/yr | 91 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 86/yr | 77/yr | 21 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 44/yr | 64/yr | 64 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 Clarke County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, 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