Webster County, West Virginia · Webster Springs
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Webster County averages 33 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 34% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.2 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 Webster County gets about 9.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Webster County, 2.93 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
55% of occupied homes in Webster County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the West Virginia county median of 10.1%.
With 5 muggy nights a year, mold in Webster County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Webster County covers 553 square miles of central West Virginia, with about 8,144 residents and 4,388 homes. Webster Springs is the county seat; Addison (Webster Springs), Cowen and Camden-on-Gauley are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1975, half after.
72/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Webster County ranks 3 of 55 West Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Webster County ranks highest compared with other West Virginia counties.
Webster County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of West Virginia. It averaged 114 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 33 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 8th.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -10°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 13 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 22 and end around May 3.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of West Virginia. The county gets about 57.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 9.2 days of an inch or more (1st of 55). Those downpours cluster in February, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.93 inches on June 24, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.37 inches, ending June 24, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 91 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
58% of homes in Webster County predate 1980, close to the West Virginia county median of 55.1%, which ranks 22nd of West Virginia's 55 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 34% of homes are pre-1960 and 16% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 21% 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.
With 34% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Webster County averages 5 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Webster County it's 3% utility gas, 38% electric, 32% propane and 23% 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 Webster County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Greenbrier, Pocahontas and Randolph get more pipe-freeze nights than Webster. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Webster | West Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 31% | 20 of 55 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 58% | 55% | 22 of 55 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 17% | 36 of 55 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 21% | 16% | 16 of 55 |
| Vacant homes | 34% | 17% | 4 of 55 |
| Wood or propane heat | 55% | 10% | 1 of 55 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 33/yr | 25/yr | 8 of 55 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.2/yr | 6.8/yr | 1 of 55 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 91/yr | 89/yr | 15 of 55 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 5/yr | 27/yr | 50 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 Webster 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