Nicholas County, West Virginia · Summersville
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Pipes freeze in Nicholas County on about 29 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 24% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.1 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Nicholas County gets about 7.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 91 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
20% of occupied homes in Nicholas County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
About 13 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
With 12,550 homes and around 24,277 residents, Nicholas County is 647 square miles of southern West Virginia. The county seat is Summersville, and Richwood, Craigsville and Tioga round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1981.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Nicholas County ranks 27 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Nicholas County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Nicholas is on the colder side of West Virginia for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 29 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 108 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 11th of 55 counties.
On February 21, 2015 the low fell to about -12°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.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 28.
Rainfall is about average for West Virginia. Of roughly 52.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 7.1 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 21st of 55. June, September and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.71 inches, June 24, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.12 inches (through June 24, 2016).
About 91 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
West Virginia's 55 counties range widely in housing age; Nicholas ranks 40th, with 49% of its homes built before 1980.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 21% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 30% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 21% 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.
25% 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 13 times a year here, below 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 expectMain heating fuel in Nicholas County's occupied homes: 27% utility gas, 50% electric, 12% propane and 9% 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 Nicholas County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Greenbrier and Webster get more pipe-freeze nights than Nicholas. Fayette County has the oldest housing nearby, with 63% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Nicholas | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 24% | 31% | 40 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 55% | 40 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 17% | 13 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 21% | 16% | 18 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 25% | 17% | 13 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 20% | 10% | 17 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 29/yr | 25/yr | 11 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.1/yr | 6.8/yr | 21 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 91/yr | 89/yr | 15 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 13/yr | 27/yr | 44 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 Nicholas County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, 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