Macon County, Illinois · Decatur
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Pipes freeze in Macon County on about 34 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 45% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7 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 Macon County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 81 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Macon County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
With 51 muggy nights a year, mold in Macon County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 49,630 homes and around 101,849 residents, Macon County is 581 square miles of central Illinois. Besides Decatur, the county seat, the biggest communities are Mount Zion, Forsyth and Maroa. Half the homes here were built before 1964, half after.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Macon County ranks 69 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Macon County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Macon County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 106 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 34 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 53rd.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 15 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -14°F on January 30, 2019.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. 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 24 and end around Apr 17.
Macon gets fewer downpours than most Illinois counties, but they still fill basements. About 7 days a year bring an inch or more (81st of 102), most often in July, out of 39.7 inches of total precipitation. On December 27, 2015, 3.24 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.69 inches, ending December 29, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 81 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; Macon ranks 20th, with 75% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 45% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
Renters occupy 30% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 51 times a year here, close to the Illinois county median of 51. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Macon County it's 74% utility gas, 21% electric, 4% 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 Macon County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
De Witt, Logan and Piatt get more pipe-freeze nights than Macon. Logan County has the oldest housing nearby, with 78% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Macon | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 38% | 35 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 75% | 66% | 20 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 8.2% | 15% | 93 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.3% | 5.6% | 82 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 11% | 34 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.7% | 17% | 89 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 34/yr | 35/yr | 53 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7/yr | 8.4/yr | 81 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 81/yr | 81/yr | 46 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 51/yr | 51/yr | 48 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 Macon County: freezing from November to March, 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