Jefferson County, West Virginia · Charles Town
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With 14% of homes built before 1960 and about 21 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
September brings the most downpours to Jefferson County, part of 6.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
14% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Jefferson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.66 inches, and about 86 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
14% of occupied homes in Jefferson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
With 44 muggy nights a year, mold in Jefferson County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 24,774 homes and around 59,260 residents, Jefferson County is 209 square miles of eastern West Virginia. Besides Charles Town, the county seat, the biggest communities are Ranson, Shannondale and Shepherdstown. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1991.
29/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Jefferson County ranks 53 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jefferson County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for West Virginia, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 95 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 21 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 46th.
The longest cold spell was straight 12 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about 1°F on February 24, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 29 and end around Apr 10.
Rainfall is about average for West Virginia. The county gets about 40 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.7 days of an inch or more (29th of 55). Those downpours cluster in July, September and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.66 inches on August 9, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6 inches, ending August 9, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 86 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
35% of homes in Jefferson County predate 1980, below the West Virginia county median of 55.1%, which ranks 54th of West Virginia's 55 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 35% 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 29% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 7% 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
Jefferson County averages 44 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Jefferson County it's 4% utility gas, 76% electric, 9% propane and 5% wood. Propane heat is above the West Virginia norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Jefferson 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 Jefferson. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jefferson | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 31% | 55 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 35% | 55% | 54 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 35% | 17% | 2 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7% | 16% | 53 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 8% | 17% | 53 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 10% | 24 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 21/yr | 25/yr | 46 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.7/yr | 6.8/yr | 29 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 86/yr | 89/yr | 39 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 44/yr | 27/yr | 7 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 Jefferson County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in July, September and December.
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