Randolph County, West Virginia · Elkins
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Pipes freeze in Randolph County on about 42 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 33% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Randolph County averages 8.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Randolph County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 101 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
22% of occupied homes in Randolph County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
With 1 muggy night a year, mold in Randolph County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 13,072 homes and around 27,576 residents, Randolph County is 1,040 square miles of central West Virginia. Besides Elkins, the county seat, the biggest communities are Valley Bend, Mill Creek and Beverly. Half the homes here were built before 1977, half after.
71/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Randolph County ranks 4 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Randolph County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Randolph County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of West Virginia. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 42 nights a year at or below 20°F (2nd of 55) and 128 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -11°F on January 7, 2018. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 17 and end around May 4.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of West Virginia. Of roughly 56.9 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 8.4 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 3rd of 55. April, June and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.59 inches, September 30, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.64 inches, ending September 2, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 101 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 55% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Randolph near the middle of West Virginia's 55 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 33% of homes are pre-1960 and 17% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
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.
Here 17% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
About 1 night a year in Randolph County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (54th of 55 counties). June 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Randolph County homes break down as 39% utility gas, 35% electric, 15% propane and 7% 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 Randolph County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Pocahontas gets more pipe-freeze nights than Randolph. Barbour County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Randolph | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 33% | 31% | 23 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 55% | 55% | 29 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 17% | 27 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 17% | 16% | 25 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 17% | 26 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 10% | 13 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 42/yr | 25/yr | 2 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.4/yr | 6.8/yr | 3 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 101/yr | 89/yr | 5 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 1/yr | 27/yr | 54 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 Randolph County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, June and September.
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