Upshur County, West Virginia · Buckhannon
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With 25% of homes built before 1960 and about 28 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
September brings the most downpours to Upshur County, part of 6.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Upshur County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Upshur County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.51 inches, and about 90 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
18% of occupied homes in Upshur 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 20 times a year in Upshur County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 23,712 people live in Upshur County, 355 square miles in central West Virginia, in roughly 11,281 homes. Buckhannon is the county seat; Hinkleville, Rock Cave and Adrian are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1979.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Upshur County ranks 34 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Upshur County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Upshur is on the colder side of West Virginia for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 28 nights a year at or below 20°F (14th of 55) and 105 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 -8°F on January 7, 2018. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 24 and the last spring freeze around Apr 24.
Rainfall is about average for West Virginia. The county gets about 52.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.7 days of an inch or more (29th of 55). Those downpours cluster in February, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.51 inches on April 16, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.67 inches (through September 11, 2018).
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
52% of homes in Upshur County predate 1980, close to the West Virginia county median of 55.1%, which ranks 36th of West Virginia's 55 counties.
The mix runs from 25% built before 1960 to 21% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 27% 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.
21% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 20 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 expectMain heating fuel in Upshur County's occupied homes: 41% utility gas, 36% electric, 11% propane and 7% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most West Virginia counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Upshur County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Randolph and Webster get more pipe-freeze nights than Upshur. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Harrison County has the oldest housing nearby, with 67% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Upshur | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 31% | 38 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 52% | 55% | 36 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 17% | 15 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 21% | 16% | 17 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 17% | 35 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 10% | 20 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 28/yr | 25/yr | 14 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.7/yr | 6.8/yr | 29 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 89/yr | 18 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 20/yr | 27/yr | 37 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 Upshur County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, 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