Alexander County, Illinois · Cairo
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Pipes freeze in Alexander County on about 16 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 36% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in March. Alexander County averages 12.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Alexander County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 60 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
19% of occupied homes in Alexander County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
With 84 muggy nights a year, mold in Alexander County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 4,875 people live in Alexander County, 235 square miles in southern Illinois, in roughly 2,938 homes. The county seat is Cairo, and Tamms, Olive Branch and Thebes round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1969, half after.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Alexander County ranks 48 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Alexander County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Illinois, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 16 nights a year at or below 20°F (101st of 102) and 70 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 11 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -8°F on February 19, 2015.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to February. 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 30 and end around Mar 23.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Illinois. Of roughly 50.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 12.7 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 7th of 102. February, March and April see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.27 inches, October 29, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.01 inches, ending August 5, 2023, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 60 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
Illinois's 102 counties range widely in housing age; Alexander ranks 40th, with 70% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 36% predate 1960 and 13% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
Here 14% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
35% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
About 84 nights a year in Alexander County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (3rd of 102 counties). March is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Alexander County homes break down as 37% utility gas, 43% electric, 17% propane and 2% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Alexander County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Union gets more pipe-freeze nights than Alexander. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Alexander | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 36% | 38% | 63 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 70% | 66% | 40 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 15% | 64 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 5.6% | 14 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 35% | 11% | 3 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 17% | 41 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 16/yr | 35/yr | 101 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 8.4/yr | 7 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 60/yr | 81/yr | 100 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 84/yr | 51/yr | 3 of 102 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Illinois county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Alexander County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, March and April.
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