McLean County, Illinois · Bloomington
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With 23% of homes built before 1960 and about 40 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
June brings the most downpours to McLean County, part of 7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
23% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
McLean County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.75 inches, and about 84 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
5% of occupied homes in McLean County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
About 41 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
With 75,305 homes and around 171,556 residents, McLean County is 1,183 square miles of central Illinois. Besides Bloomington, the county seat, the biggest communities are Normal, Le Roy and Heyworth. Half the homes here were built before 1981, half after.
32/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate McLean County ranks 95 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where McLean County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
McLean County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Illinois. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 40 nights a year at or below 20°F (32nd of 102) and 113 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 30, 2019 the low fell to about -19°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 15 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 23 and end around Apr 22.
McLean gets fewer downpours than most Illinois counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 38.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7 days of an inch or more (81st of 102). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.75 inches on July 9, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.32 inches, ending June 27, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 84 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
Illinois's 102 counties range widely in housing age; McLean ranks 91st, with 49% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 25% 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.
About 27% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Renters occupy 35% 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
McLean County averages 41 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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, McLean County homes break down as 71% utility gas, 24% electric, 4% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across McLean County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Livingston and Woodford get more pipe-freeze nights than McLean. Ford County has the oldest housing nearby, with 82% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | McLean | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 38% | 94 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 66% | 91 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 15% | 13 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.6% | 5.6% | 69 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 6.8% | 11% | 87 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.5% | 17% | 91 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 40/yr | 35/yr | 32 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7/yr | 8.4/yr | 81 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 84/yr | 81/yr | 34 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 41/yr | 51/yr | 70 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 McLean 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