Orange County, Virginia · Orange
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With 16% of homes built before 1960 and about 16 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
October brings the most downpours to Orange County, part of 8.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Orange County gets about 8.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Orange County, 3.86 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
14% of occupied homes in Orange County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Virginia county median of 11.9%.
About 57 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 37,822 people live in Orange County, 341 square miles in eastern Virginia, in roughly 16,131 homes. Besides Orange, the county seat, the biggest communities are Lake of the Woods, Gordonsville and Barboursville. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1993.
39/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Orange County ranks 81 of 95 Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Orange County ranks highest compared with other Virginia counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Orange County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 16 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 88 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 35th of 95 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 4 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2016. 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.
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 Nov 3 and end around Apr 12.
Orange gets fewer downpours than most Virginia counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 43.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 8.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 76th of 95. June, September and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.86 inches, November 12, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.46 inches, ending November 13, 2020, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 84 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; Orange ranks 72nd, with 33% of its homes built before 1980.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 40% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 26% 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
About 57 nights a year in Orange County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (54th of 95 counties). August is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Orange County homes break down as 5% utility gas, 71% electric, 11% propane and 3% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Orange County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Greene and Madison get more pipe-freeze nights than Orange. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Madison County has the oldest housing nearby, with 50% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Orange | Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 20% | 66 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 33% | 46% | 72 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 40% | 25% | 12 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.7% | 9.6% | 73 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 7.9% | 15% | 71 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 12% | 39 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 16/yr | 14/yr | 35 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.3/yr | 10/yr | 76 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 84/yr | 77/yr | 28 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 57/yr | 64/yr | 54 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 Orange County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, 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