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Winchester city, Virginia

Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 22% of Winchester city's mapped land, a higher share than 72% of US counties and the 6th highest of 133 Virginia counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 5%.

None of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 8 flood losses here since 2016. 63% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1968.

Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources

22%

expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes

5%

high water table: limits basements

0%

in drought, October 13, 2026

63%

of homes built before 1980

Soil under Winchester city

Expansive clay (limits slab homes)22.0%
High water table (limits basements)5.4%
Septic fields very limited30.3%
Clay swell (LEP, by area)5.5%
High-swell land (LEP 6%+)22.0%
Urban land, not rated48.0%
Mapped soil6,000 acres
Soil seriesShare hereSeries nationally: expansive clay
Frederick17%23%
Poplimento16%n/a
Oaklet4%n/a
Massanetta2%n/a
Blairton1%n/a
Berks1%0%
Frederick County: 16%Clarke County: 31%Warren County: 2%Jefferson County: 37%Berkeley County: 8%Hampshire County: 1%Morgan County: 0%Loudoun County: 8%Winchester city FrederickClarkeWarrenJeffersonBerkeleyHampshireMorganLoudounWinchester city
Winchester city (heavy outline) and nearby counties, shaded by expansive clay share.under 10%10-25%25-40%40-60%60%+

How we count · survey areas VA840 (2025-09-05)

What the numbers mean here

Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 5.5% by land area here, and 22% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 22% of the mapped land.

Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 30.79 in, 10.27 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 41.06 in.

Drought

0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 49 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 49 weeks, most recently on the September 22, 2026 map.

October 21, 2025Share of area in drought, weeklyOctober 13, 2026
Category, October 13, 2026Share of county
D0 abnormally dry or worse100%
D1 moderate drought or worse0%
D2 severe or worse0%
D3 extreme or worse0%
D4 exceptional0%

Flood losses since 2016

8 flood losses since 2016, $62,919 paid. The worst year was 2025, with 3.

YearFlood losses
20161
20170
20183
20190
20200
20210
20221
20230
20240
20253
2026 to date0

Rain

Average year, 1991-202041.06 in
12 months to August 202630.79 in (-10.27)
202536.10 in (-4.96)
Wettest year since 18952018: 65.98 in
Driest year since 18951930: 18.16 in
Days with 1 inch or more, normal at WINCHESTER (2 mi away)9.2

Homes

Housing units12,541
Median year built1968
Built before 198063%
Built 2000 or later14%
Owner-occupied44%
Median value, owner-occupied$343,000
Single-family detached57%

What repairs cost

Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.

WorkRangeSource
Foundation repair, US $2,200 to $8,200 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Pier-and-beam repair, US $2,000 to $15,000 Fixr, January 27, 2026
Foundation inspection, US $300 to $600 Fixr, January 31, 2025

Nearby counties

PlaceDistanceExpansive clayHigh water table
Frederick County, VA 5 mi 16% 15%
Clarke County, VA 11 mi 31% 15%
Warren County, VA 18 mi 2% 7%
Jefferson County, WV 19 mi 37% 14%
Berkeley County, WV 20 mi 8% 21%
Hampshire County, WV 25 mi 1% 18%
Morgan County, WV 27 mi under 1% 23%
Loudoun County, VA 30 mi 8% 31%

Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status