Lawrence County, Illinois · Lawrenceville
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Pipes freeze in Lawrence County on about 24 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 46% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.6 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Lawrence County gets about 12.6 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 73 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
18% of occupied homes in Lawrence County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
With 69 muggy nights a year, mold in Lawrence County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 6,407 homes and around 15,031 residents, Lawrence County is 372 square miles of southeast Illinois. The county seat is Lawrenceville, and Sumner, Bridgeport and St. Francisville round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1963.
64/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Lawrence County ranks 8 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lawrence County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Lawrence County is milder than most of Illinois, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 88 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 24 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 102 Illinois counties that's 76th.
On December 23, 2022 the low fell to about -7°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 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 27 and the last spring freeze around Apr 11.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Illinois. Of roughly 48.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 12.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 8th of 102. March, April and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.8 inches, September 9, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.29 inches (through September 9, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 73 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
72% of homes in Lawrence County predate 1980, above the Illinois county median of 65.9%, which ranks 29th of Illinois's 102 counties.
46% 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.
18% 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.
With 15% 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
Lawrence County averages 69 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, Lawrence County homes break down as 55% utility gas, 26% electric, 17% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Lawrence County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crawford gets more pipe-freeze nights than Lawrence. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lawrence | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 46% | 38% | 28 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 72% | 66% | 29 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 15% | 64 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 5.6% | 7 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 11% | 21 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 17% | 46 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 24/yr | 35/yr | 76 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 8.4/yr | 8 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 73/yr | 81/yr | 71 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 69/yr | 51/yr | 24 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 Lawrence County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in March, April 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