Franklin County, Illinois · Benton
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Franklin County averages 21 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 47% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.5 times a year here, most often in March. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Franklin County gets about 11.5 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 67 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
11% of occupied homes in Franklin County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 74 times a year in Franklin County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 18,462 homes and around 37,323 residents, Franklin County is 409 square miles of southern Illinois. Besides Benton, the county seat, the biggest communities are West Frankfort, Christopher and Sesser. The county's median home was built in 1963.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Franklin County ranks 19 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Franklin County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Franklin County is milder than most of Illinois, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 21 nights a year at or below 20°F (87th of 102) and 80 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On December 23, 2022 the low fell to about -6°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 14 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 28 and the last spring freeze around Apr 10.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Illinois. About 11.5 days a year bring an inch or more (16th of 102), most often in March, out of 48.1 inches of total precipitation. On April 29, 2017, 3.68 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.92 inches (through May 1, 2017).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 67 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
Roughly 70% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Franklin near the middle of Illinois's 102 counties.
47% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 10% 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.
Beyond water
About 74 nights a year in Franklin County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (17th of 102 counties). April is the wettest month. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Franklin County's occupied homes: 39% utility gas, 49% electric, 9% propane and 2% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Franklin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Jefferson and Perry get more pipe-freeze nights than Franklin. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Franklin | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 47% | 38% | 26 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 70% | 66% | 39 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 15% | 53 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 10% | 5.6% | 29 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 11% | 31 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 17% | 73 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 21/yr | 35/yr | 87 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 8.4/yr | 16 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 67/yr | 81/yr | 88 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 74/yr | 51/yr | 17 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 Franklin County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in March, April 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