Tyler County, West Virginia · Middlebourne
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Pipes freeze in Tyler County on about 25 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 41% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 8.3 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Tyler County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 89 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
16% of occupied homes in Tyler County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
With 32 muggy nights a year, mold in Tyler County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Tyler County covers 256 square miles of central West Virginia, with about 8,064 residents and 4,110 homes. Middlebourne is the county seat; Sistersville and Friendly are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1968, half after.
73/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Tyler County ranks 2 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Tyler County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Tyler County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 104 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 25 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 26th.
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 -9°F on February 20, 2015.
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 22.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of West Virginia. Of roughly 49.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 8.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 4th of 55. June, August and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.96 inches, September 30, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.86 inches, ending September 11, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 89 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 65% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Tyler among the oldest housing stocks of West Virginia's 55 counties.
Before 1960 is when 41% 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.
23% 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.
13% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below 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 20% 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 32 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Tyler County it's 66% utility gas, 17% electric, 8% propane and 8% wood. Wood heat is 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 Tyler County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Wetzel gets more pipe-freeze nights than Tyler. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Wetzel County has the oldest housing nearby, with 72% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Tyler | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 31% | 10 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 65% | 55% | 12 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 17% | 46 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 16% | 41 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 17% | 22 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 10% | 23 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 25/yr | 25/yr | 26 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.3/yr | 6.8/yr | 4 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 89/yr | 89/yr | 25 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 32/yr | 27/yr | 20 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 Tyler County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, August 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