Jersey County, Illinois · Jerseyville
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Pipes freeze in Jersey County on about 28 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 32% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.3 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Jersey County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 71 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
28% of occupied homes in Jersey County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
With 71 muggy nights a year, mold in Jersey County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Jersey County covers 370 square miles of western Illinois, with about 21,274 residents and 9,958 homes. Jerseyville is the county seat; Grafton, Elsah and Fieldon are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1975, half after.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Jersey County ranks 76 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jersey County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Jersey County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 28 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 90 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 67th of 102 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 14 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -8°F on January 15, 2024. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 25 and end around Apr 8.
Rainfall is about average for Illinois. About 9.3 days a year bring an inch or more (38th of 102), most often in July, out of 40.7 inches of total precipitation. On December 27, 2015, 4.28 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.3 inches, ending December 29, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
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
57% of homes in Jersey County predate 1980, below the Illinois county median of 65.9%, which ranks 79th of Illinois's 102 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 23% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
7% 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.
The Census counted 20% of homes as vacant, above the Illinois county median of 10.8%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
About 71 nights a year in Jersey County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (23rd of 102 counties). July 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Jersey County it's 38% utility gas, 34% electric, 25% propane and 2% 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 Jersey County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Calhoun, Greene and Macoupin get more pipe-freeze nights than Jersey. Greene County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jersey | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 32% | 38% | 80 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 57% | 66% | 79 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 15% | 14 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7% | 5.6% | 41 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 11% | 10 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 28% | 17% | 16 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 28/yr | 35/yr | 67 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.3/yr | 8.4/yr | 38 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 71/yr | 81/yr | 73 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 71/yr | 51/yr | 23 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 Jersey County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in April, 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