Brooke County, West Virginia · Wellsburg
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Brooke County averages 28 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 43% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.1 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Brooke County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5.1 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.
4% of occupied homes in Brooke County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 27 times a year in Brooke County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 10,691 homes and around 21,805 residents, Brooke County is 89 square miles of northern West Virginia. Wellsburg is the county seat; Follansbee, Hooverson Heights and Bethany are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1966, half after.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Brooke County ranks 19 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Brooke County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Brooke County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of West Virginia. It averaged 108 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 28 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 55 West Virginia counties that's 14th.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -8°F on February 20, 2015. 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 2 and end around Apr 24.
Brooke gets fewer downpours than most West Virginia counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 43.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.1 days of an inch or more (55th of 55). Those downpours cluster in February, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.64 inches on September 30, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.48 inches, ending September 11, 2018, 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
West Virginia's 55 counties range widely in housing age; Brooke ranks 5th, with 74% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 43% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 11% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 27 times a year here, close to the West Virginia county median of 27. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Brooke County's occupied homes: 59% utility gas, 28% electric, 3% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Brooke County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Every neighboring county gets more pipe-freeze nights than Brooke. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Hancock County has the oldest housing nearby, with 81% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Brooke | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 43% | 31% | 8 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 74% | 55% | 5 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.7% | 17% | 51 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 16% | 43 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 9.5% | 17% | 52 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.1% | 10% | 49 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 28/yr | 25/yr | 14 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.1/yr | 6.8/yr | 55 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 86/yr | 89/yr | 39 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 27/yr | 27/yr | 27 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 Brooke County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, 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