Lincoln County, West Virginia · Hamlin
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Lincoln County averages 18 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 16% of its homes predate 1960.
February brings the most downpours to Lincoln County, part of 7.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
16% 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.
In Lincoln County, 2.96 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
5% of occupied homes in Lincoln County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
With 50 muggy nights a year, mold in Lincoln County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 19,902 people live in Lincoln County, 437 square miles in southwest West Virginia, in roughly 9,595 homes. Hamlin is the county seat; Alum Creek, Harts and West Hamlin are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1983.
34/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Lincoln County ranks 48 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lincoln County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Lincoln County is milder than most of West Virginia, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 85 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 18 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 52nd.
The longest cold spell was straight 9 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -14°F on February 20, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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 Nov 2 and the last spring freeze around Apr 17.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of West Virginia. The county gets about 47.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.2 days of an inch or more (16th of 55). Those downpours cluster in February, May and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.96 inches on February 17, 2023. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.69 inches (through August 20, 2021).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 76 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 45% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Lincoln among the newer housing stocks of West Virginia's 55 counties.
The mix runs from 16% built before 1960 to 19% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
36% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 31% 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.
20% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 50 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 Lincoln County it's 39% utility gas, 54% electric, 1% propane and 4% 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 Lincoln County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Boone, Cabell, Kanawha and Putnam get more pipe-freeze nights than Lincoln. Kanawha County has the oldest housing nearby, with 70% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lincoln | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 31% | 52 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 55% | 44 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 17% | 20 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 31% | 16% | 3 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 17% | 21 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5% | 10% | 43 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 18/yr | 25/yr | 52 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.2/yr | 6.8/yr | 16 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 76/yr | 89/yr | 50 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 50/yr | 27/yr | 3 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 Lincoln County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, May and July.
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