Montgomery County, Illinois · Hillsboro
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Pipes freeze in Montgomery County on about 31 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 46% of the stock here, are most at risk.
July brings the most downpours to Montgomery County, part of 8.9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Montgomery County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Montgomery County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.1 inches, and about 79 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
21% of occupied homes in Montgomery 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 52 times a year in Montgomery County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Montgomery County covers 704 square miles of central Illinois, with about 27,942 residents and 12,495 homes. Hillsboro is the county seat; Litchfield, Nokomis and Raymond are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1964.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Montgomery County ranks 31 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Montgomery County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
For frozen pipes, Montgomery County is a typical Illinois county, which is still plenty. It averaged 99 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 31, 2019. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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 24 and the last spring freeze around Apr 13.
Rainfall is about average for Illinois. The county gets about 42 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.9 days of an inch or more (43rd of 102). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.1 inches on December 27, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.16 inches (through December 29, 2015).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 79 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
Illinois's 102 counties range widely in housing age; Montgomery ranks 36th, with 71% of its homes built before 1980.
In Montgomery County 46% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
Beyond water
Montgomery County averages 52 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Montgomery County homes break down as 54% utility gas, 25% electric, 19% propane and 2% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most Illinois counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Montgomery County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Christian and Sangamon get more pipe-freeze nights than Montgomery. Christian County has the oldest housing nearby, with 75% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Montgomery | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 46% | 38% | 30 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 71% | 66% | 36 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 15% | 70 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.1% | 5.6% | 47 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 9.4% | 11% | 68 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 21% | 17% | 32 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 31/yr | 35/yr | 60 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.9/yr | 8.4/yr | 43 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 79/yr | 81/yr | 58 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 52/yr | 51/yr | 46 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 Montgomery 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