Ritchie County, West Virginia · Harrisville
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Ritchie County averages 24 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 32% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.4 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Ritchie County gets about 7.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Ritchie County, 2.48 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
7% of occupied homes in Ritchie County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
With 33 muggy nights a year, mold in Ritchie County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 4,176 homes and around 8,286 residents, Ritchie County is 452 square miles of western West Virginia. The county seat is Harrisville, and Pennsboro, Pullman and Cairo round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1975, half after.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Ritchie County ranks 17 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Ritchie County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Ritchie County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 103 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 24 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 31st.
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 February 20, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 31 and end around Apr 21.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of West Virginia. The county gets about 47.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.4 days of an inch or more (13th of 55). Those downpours cluster in February, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.48 inches on September 10, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.45 inches, ending September 11, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 90 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
59% of homes in Ritchie County predate 1980, close to the West Virginia county median of 55.1%, which ranks 18th of West Virginia's 55 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 32% predate 1960 and 19% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 23% 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 23% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 33 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Ritchie County homes break down as 81% utility gas, 11% electric, 3% 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 Ritchie County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Doddridge, Tyler and Wirt get more pipe-freeze nights than Ritchie. Wood County has the oldest housing nearby, with 66% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Ritchie | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 32% | 31% | 25 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 59% | 55% | 18 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 17% | 22 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 23% | 16% | 12 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 19% | 17% | 25 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.1% | 10% | 36 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 24/yr | 25/yr | 31 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.4/yr | 6.8/yr | 13 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 89/yr | 18 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 33/yr | 27/yr | 18 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 Ritchie County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, June and August.
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