Fluvanna County, Virginia · Palmyra
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Fluvanna County averages 15 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 10% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in October. Fluvanna County averages 11 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Fluvanna County gets about 11 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 77 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
15% of occupied homes in Fluvanna County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Virginia county median of 11.9%.
About 68 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
Fluvanna County covers 287 square miles of central Virginia, with about 28,092 residents and 11,495 homes. Palmyra is the county seat; Lake Monticello and Columbia are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1995.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Fluvanna County ranks 58 of 95 Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Fluvanna County ranks highest compared with other Virginia counties.
For frozen pipes, Fluvanna County is a typical Virginia county, which is still plenty. It averaged 81 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 15 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 41st.
The longest cold spell was straight 4 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -1°F on January 7, 2018. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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 Nov 4 and the last spring freeze around Apr 6.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Virginia. The county gets about 47.1 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 11 days of an inch or more (26th of 95). Those downpours cluster in April, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.11 inches on November 12, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.02 inches (through November 13, 2020).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 77 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; Fluvanna ranks 91st, with 21% of its homes built before 1980.
37% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Virginia. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 42% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 68 times a year here, close to the Virginia county median of 64. 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 Fluvanna County's occupied homes: 2% utility gas, 80% electric, 10% propane and 5% 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 Fluvanna County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Louisa gets more pipe-freeze nights than Fluvanna. Cumberland County has the oldest housing nearby, with 39% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Fluvanna | Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 10% | 20% | 82 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 21% | 46% | 91 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 37% | 25% | 18 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.3% | 9.6% | 67 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 10% | 15% | 65 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 12% | 37 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 15/yr | 14/yr | 41 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 10/yr | 26 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 77/yr | 77/yr | 46 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 68/yr | 64/yr | 44 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 Fluvanna County: freezing from December to February, 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