Gallatin County, Illinois · Shawneetown
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Gallatin County averages 19 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 39% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 10.7 times a year here, most often in March. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Gallatin County spike on heavy-rain days, about 10.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 68 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
17% of occupied homes in Gallatin County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 79 times a year in Gallatin County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 4,819 people live in Gallatin County, 323 square miles in southeast Illinois, in roughly 2,505 homes. Besides Shawneetown, the county seat, the biggest communities are Ridgway, Equality and New Haven. Half the homes here were built before 1969, half after.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Gallatin County ranks 50 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Gallatin 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 19 nights a year at or below 20°F (95th of 102) and 79 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On December 23, 2022 the low fell to about -5°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 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 Nov 1 and end around Apr 3.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Illinois. Of roughly 47.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 10.7 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 24th of 102. February, March and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.32 inches, October 29, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.94 inches, ending September 29, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 68 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Illinois's 102 counties range widely in housing age; Gallatin ranks 34th, with 72% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 39% of homes are pre-1960 and 9% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 18% 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 16% 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
About 79 nights a year in Gallatin County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (5th of 102 counties). March is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Gallatin County homes break down as 55% utility gas, 27% electric, 16% 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 Gallatin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Saline and White get more pipe-freeze nights than Gallatin. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. White County has the oldest housing nearby, with 72% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Gallatin | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 39% | 38% | 50 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 72% | 66% | 34 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.1% | 15% | 88 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 5.6% | 6 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 11% | 18 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 17% | 49 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 19/yr | 35/yr | 95 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 8.4/yr | 24 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 68/yr | 81/yr | 85 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 79/yr | 51/yr | 5 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 Gallatin County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, March and July.
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