Massac County, Illinois · Metropolis
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Pipes freeze in Massac County on about 17 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 30% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in March. Massac County averages 13.8 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Massac County spike on heavy-rain days, about 13.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 60 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
19% of occupied homes in Massac County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
About 85 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Massac County covers 237 square miles of southeast Illinois, with about 13,865 residents and 6,822 homes. Metropolis is the county seat; Brookport and Joppa are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1975, half after.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Massac County ranks 72 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Massac County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Illinois, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 17 nights a year at or below 20°F (100th of 102) and 69 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 19, 2015 the low fell to about -6°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 11 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 Nov 4 and end around Mar 27.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Illinois. The county gets about 52.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 13.8 days of an inch or more (1st of 102). Those downpours cluster in January, March and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.61 inches on October 29, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.78 inches, ending September 29, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 60 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
57% of homes in Massac County predate 1980, below the Illinois county median of 65.9%, which ranks 80th of Illinois's 102 counties.
The mix runs from 30% built before 1960 to 15% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 29% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 14% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
With 20% 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
Massac County averages 85 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in March. 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 Massac County it's 44% utility gas, 37% electric, 18% propane and 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Massac County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Johnson and Pope get more pipe-freeze nights than Massac. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Pulaski County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Massac | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 30% | 38% | 83 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 57% | 66% | 80 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 15% | 48 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 5.6% | 13 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 11% | 10 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 17% | 43 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 17/yr | 35/yr | 100 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 8.4/yr | 1 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 60/yr | 81/yr | 100 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 85/yr | 51/yr | 2 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 Massac County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in January, March and December.
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