Barbour County, West Virginia · Philippi
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Pipes freeze in Barbour County on about 27 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 34% of the stock here, are most at risk.
February brings the most downpours to Barbour County, part of 6.9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Barbour County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6.9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Barbour County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.44 inches, and about 91 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
22% of occupied homes in Barbour County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
With 19 muggy nights a year, mold in Barbour County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 7,124 homes and around 15,424 residents, Barbour County is 341 square miles of central West Virginia. Besides Philippi, the county seat, the biggest communities are Belington, Junior and Century. The county's median home was built in 1976.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Barbour County ranks 18 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Barbour County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Barbour is on the colder side of West Virginia for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 27 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 106 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 19th of 55 counties.
On January 7, 2018 the low fell to about -7°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 13 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 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 24.
Rainfall is about average for West Virginia. About 6.9 days a year bring an inch or more (23rd of 55), most often in February, out of 51.4 inches of total precipitation. On April 16, 2018, 2.44 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4 inches (through September 11, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 91 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
58% of homes in Barbour County predate 1980, close to the West Virginia county median of 55.1%, which ranks 20th of West Virginia's 55 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 34% predate 1960 and 19% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
23% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Here 16% 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.
Beyond water
Barbour County averages 19 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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, Barbour County homes break down as 42% utility gas, 29% electric, 15% propane and 6% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most West 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 Barbour County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Preston, Randolph, Tucker and Upshur get more pipe-freeze nights than Barbour. Harrison County has the oldest housing nearby, with 67% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Barbour | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 31% | 21 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 58% | 55% | 20 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 17% | 21 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 16% | 27 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 17% | 42 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 10% | 14 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 27/yr | 25/yr | 19 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.9/yr | 6.8/yr | 23 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 91/yr | 89/yr | 15 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 19/yr | 27/yr | 40 of 55 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest West Virginia county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Barbour County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, 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