Summers County, West Virginia · Hinton
Water spreading, a burst pipe, sewage, mold or smoke? Call to be connected with a restoration company that serves Hinton. Start the steps below while you wait.
Answered 24/7 by a participating local provider. We're a referral service and don't do the work ourselves. How it works
Start here
Pick the closest match. These steps limit the damage and protect your insurance claim. Skip anything that isn't safe.
Summers County averages 25 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 36% of its homes predate 1960.
April brings the most downpours to Summers County, part of 7.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Summers County gets about 7.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Summers County, 2.97 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
33% of occupied homes in Summers County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 17 times a year in Summers County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 11,729 people live in Summers County, 361 square miles in southern West Virginia, in roughly 6,541 homes. The county seat is Hinton. Half the homes here were built before 1974, half after.
58/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Summers County ranks 16 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Summers County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Summers County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 25 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 100 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 26th of 55 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -9°F on February 21, 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 25 and end around Apr 22.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of West Virginia. Of roughly 45 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 7.2 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 16th of 55. February, April and May see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.97 inches, June 24, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.44 inches, ending September 28, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 87 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
62% of homes in Summers County predate 1980, above the West Virginia county median of 55.1%, which ranks 16th of West Virginia's 55 counties.
Before 1960 is when 36% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 26% 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.
17% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, close to the West Virginia county median of 16.2%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
The Census counted 29% of homes as vacant, above the West Virginia county median of 17.4%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 17 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Summers County homes break down as 17% utility gas, 41% electric, 14% propane and 19% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Summers County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Every neighboring county gets more pipe-freeze nights than Summers. Fayette County has the oldest housing nearby, with 63% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Summers | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 36% | 31% | 15 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 55% | 16 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 17% | 48 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 17% | 16% | 24 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 29% | 17% | 7 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 33% | 10% | 6 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 25/yr | 25/yr | 26 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.2/yr | 6.8/yr | 16 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 87/yr | 89/yr | 36 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 17/yr | 27/yr | 42 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 Summers County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, April and May.
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