Jasper County, Illinois · Newton
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Jasper County averages 25 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 34% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 10.8 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
34% 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.
In Jasper County, 3.11 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
43% of occupied homes in Jasper 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 67 times a year in Jasper County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 9,180 people live in Jasper County, 495 square miles in eastern Illinois, in roughly 4,226 homes. Newton is the county seat; Willow Hill, Ste. Marie and Wheeler are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1975.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Jasper County ranks 67 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jasper County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Jasper County is milder than most of Illinois, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 25 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 88 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 74th of 102 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 14 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -7°F on February 20, 2015.
The freeze season here runs December to February, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 10.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Illinois. The county gets about 46.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 10.8 days of an inch or more (23rd of 102). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.11 inches on August 16, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.79 inches (through August 16, 2016).
About 71 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; Jasper ranks 81st, with 56% of its homes built before 1980.
20% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Illinois. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
About 24% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
9% 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
Jasper County averages 67 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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, Jasper County homes break down as 38% utility gas, 18% electric, 38% propane and 5% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Jasper County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Clark, Crawford, Cumberland and Effingham get more pipe-freeze nights than Jasper. Crawford County has the oldest housing nearby, with 70% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jasper | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 38% | 72 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 56% | 66% | 81 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 15% | 22 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.2% | 5.6% | 32 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 11% | 45 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 43% | 17% | 2 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 25/yr | 35/yr | 74 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 8.4/yr | 23 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 71/yr | 81/yr | 73 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 67/yr | 51/yr | 30 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 Jasper County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in June, July and August.
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