Preston County, West Virginia · Kingwood
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Preston County averages 36 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 24% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.9 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
24% 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 Preston County, 2.62 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
31% of occupied homes in Preston County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
About 10 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 15,183 homes and around 34,160 residents, Preston County is 649 square miles of central West Virginia. The county seat is Kingwood, and Terra Alta, Arthurdale and Rowlesburg round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1982.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Preston County ranks 23 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Preston County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Preston is on the colder side of West Virginia for pipes. It averaged 119 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 36 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 4th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 14 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -10°F on January 7, 2018.
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 21 and the last spring freeze around Apr 28.
Rainfall is about average for West Virginia. About 6.9 days a year bring an inch or more (23rd of 55), most often in September, out of 52 inches of total precipitation. On July 29, 2017, 2.62 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.91 inches (through September 11, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 94 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 47% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Preston among the newer housing stocks of West Virginia's 55 counties.
25% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of West Virginia. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
28% 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 17% 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
About 10 nights a year in Preston County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (47th of 55 counties). May is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Preston County's occupied homes: 22% utility gas, 30% electric, 20% propane and 12% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Preston County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Tucker gets more pipe-freeze nights than Preston. Barbour County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Preston | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 24% | 31% | 39 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 55% | 41 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 17% | 6 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 17% | 16% | 26 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 17% | 33 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 31% | 10% | 7 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 36/yr | 25/yr | 4 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.9/yr | 6.8/yr | 23 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 94/yr | 89/yr | 11 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 10/yr | 27/yr | 47 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 Preston County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in July, 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