Gilmer County, West Virginia · Glenville
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Gilmer County averages 24 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 36% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.7 times a year here, most often in October. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Gilmer County gets about 6.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Gilmer County, 2.87 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
4% of occupied homes in Gilmer County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
With 33 muggy nights a year, mold in Gilmer County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 7,288 people live in Gilmer County, 339 square miles in central West Virginia, in roughly 3,117 homes. The county seat is Glenville, and Sand Fork is the other large town. Half the homes here were built before 1974, half after.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Gilmer County ranks 22 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Gilmer County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Gilmer County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 24 nights a year at or below 20°F (31st of 55) and 101 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -11°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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 2 and end around Apr 22.
Rainfall is about average for West Virginia. About 6.7 days a year bring an inch or more (29th of 55), most often in October, out of 47.2 inches of total precipitation. On July 31, 2020, 2.87 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.17 inches, ending September 11, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 88 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
62% of homes in Gilmer County predate 1980, above the West Virginia county median of 55.1%, which ranks 15th of West Virginia's 55 counties.
In Gilmer County 36% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 22% 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.
25% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the West Virginia county median of 16.2%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
The Census counted 28% of homes as vacant, above the West Virginia county median of 17.4%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 33 times a year here, above the West Virginia county median of 27. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Gilmer County it's 70% utility gas, 23% electric, 2% propane and 2% 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 Gilmer County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Doddridge gets more pipe-freeze nights than Gilmer. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Gilmer | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 36% | 31% | 17 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 55% | 15 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 17% | 38 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 25% | 16% | 7 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 28% | 17% | 9 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.8% | 10% | 50 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 24/yr | 25/yr | 31 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.7/yr | 6.8/yr | 29 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 88/yr | 89/yr | 29 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 33/yr | 27/yr | 18 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 Gilmer County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June 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