Pulaski County, Illinois · Mound City
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Pipes freeze in Pulaski County on about 16 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 35% of the stock here, are most at risk.
March brings the most downpours to Pulaski County, part of 13.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Pulaski County spike on heavy-rain days, about 13.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Pulaski County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.34 inches, and about 59 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
23% of occupied homes in Pulaski County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
With 86 muggy nights a year, mold in Pulaski County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 5,015 people live in Pulaski County, 199 square miles in southern Illinois, in roughly 2,851 homes. The county seat is Mound City, and Mounds, Karnak and Ullin round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1969.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Pulaski County ranks 60 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pulaski County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Pulaski County is milder than most of Illinois, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 16 nights a year at or below 20°F (101st of 102) and 69 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 11 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -8°F on February 19, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 4 and the last spring freeze around Mar 23.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Illinois. About 13.3 days a year bring an inch or more (4th of 102), most often in March, out of 50.9 inches of total precipitation. On November 1, 2018, 3.34 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.83 inches (through December 29, 2015).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 59 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
62% of homes in Pulaski County predate 1980, close to the Illinois county median of 65.9%, which ranks 64th of Illinois's 102 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 35% of homes are pre-1960 and 17% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Here 24% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
The Census counted 32% 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.
Renters occupy 32% 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 86 times a year here, above the Illinois county median of 51. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Pulaski County it's 33% utility gas, 44% electric, 19% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Pulaski County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Johnson, Massac and Union get more pipe-freeze nights than Pulaski. Alexander County has the oldest housing nearby, with 70% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pulaski | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 35% | 38% | 68 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 66% | 64 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 15% | 33 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 5.6% | 2 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 32% | 11% | 5 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 23% | 17% | 28 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 16/yr | 35/yr | 101 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 8.4/yr | 4 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 59/yr | 81/yr | 102 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 86/yr | 51/yr | 1 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 Pulaski County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in March, April and November.
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