Hamilton County, Illinois · McLeansboro
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With 44% of homes built before 1960 and about 20 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
March brings the most downpours to Hamilton County, part of 10.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
44% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Hamilton County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.22 inches, and about 67 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
41% of occupied homes in Hamilton County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 74 times a year in Hamilton County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 7,916 people live in Hamilton County, 435 square miles in southeast Illinois, in roughly 3,803 homes. The county seat is McLeansboro, and Dahlgren, Broughton and Belle Prairie City round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1970, half after.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hamilton County ranks 45 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hamilton 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 20 nights a year at or below 20°F (91st 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 -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 8.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Illinois. About 10.2 days a year bring an inch or more (30th of 102), most often in March, out of 47 inches of total precipitation. On April 29, 2017, 3.22 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.38 inches, ending May 1, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
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
61% of homes in Hamilton County predate 1980, close to the Illinois county median of 65.9%, which ranks 69th of Illinois's 102 counties.
In Hamilton County 44% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 24% 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.
16% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Illinois county median of 5.6%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
Hamilton County averages 74 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in March. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Hamilton County homes break down as 42% utility gas, 16% electric, 38% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Illinois norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Hamilton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Franklin, Jefferson and Wayne get more pipe-freeze nights than Hamilton. 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 | Hamilton | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 44% | 38% | 40 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 61% | 66% | 69 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 15% | 44 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 5.6% | 12 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 11% | 49 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 41% | 17% | 3 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 20/yr | 35/yr | 91 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 8.4/yr | 30 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 Hamilton 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