Macoupin County, Illinois · Carlinville
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With 45% of homes built before 1960 and about 31 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
July brings the most downpours to Macoupin County, part of 8.4 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Macoupin County gets about 8.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Macoupin County, 3.8 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
23% of occupied homes in Macoupin 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 59 times a year in Macoupin County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Macoupin County covers 863 square miles of central Illinois, with about 44,350 residents and 21,139 homes. The county seat is Carlinville, and Staunton, Virden and Gillespie round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1966, half after.
54/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Macoupin County ranks 37 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Macoupin County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Macoupin County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 98 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 31 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 60th.
The longest cold spell was straight 14 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -9°F on January 1, 2018. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 24 and end around Apr 13.
Rainfall is about average for Illinois. The county gets about 40.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.4 days of an inch or more (51st of 102). Those downpours cluster in April, May and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.8 inches on December 27, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.59 inches, ending December 29, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 77 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
68% of homes in Macoupin County predate 1980, close to the Illinois county median of 65.9%, which ranks 47th of Illinois's 102 counties.
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.
8% 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 17% 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 59 nights a year in Macoupin County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (37th of 102 counties). July is the wettest month. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Macoupin County's occupied homes: 51% utility gas, 25% electric, 21% propane and 2% wood. Propane heat is 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 Macoupin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Macoupin gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Greene County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Macoupin | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 38% | 34 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 68% | 66% | 47 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 15% | 55 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.1% | 5.6% | 38 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 11% | 17 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 23% | 17% | 25 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 31/yr | 35/yr | 60 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.4/yr | 8.4/yr | 51 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 77/yr | 81/yr | 61 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 59/yr | 51/yr | 37 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 Macoupin County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in April, May 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