Richland County, Illinois · Olney
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Richland County averages 23 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 33% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.8 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Richland County gets about 11.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 68 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
18% of occupied homes in Richland County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 68 times a year in Richland County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 7,363 homes and around 15,598 residents, Richland County is 360 square miles of southeast Illinois. Besides Olney, the county seat, the biggest communities are Noble, Dundas and Parkersburg. The county's median home was built in 1973.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Richland County ranks 73 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Richland County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Richland County is milder than most of Illinois, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 84 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 23 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 81st.
The longest cold spell was straight 14 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -7°F on December 23, 2022. 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 Oct 27 and the last spring freeze around Apr 9.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Illinois. About 11.8 days a year bring an inch or more (13th of 102), most often in July, out of 48.3 inches of total precipitation. On September 9, 2018, 3.54 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.5 inches (through August 16, 2016).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 68 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; Richland ranks 53rd, with 65% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 33% built before 1960 to 14% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 68 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 expectMain heating fuel in Richland County's occupied homes: 59% utility gas, 23% electric, 14% propane and 3% wood. Wood heat is above the Illinois norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Richland County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Clay, Crawford, Jasper and Lawrence get more pipe-freeze nights than Richland. Lawrence County has the oldest housing nearby, with 72% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Richland | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 33% | 38% | 77 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 65% | 66% | 53 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 15% | 59 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 5.6% | 15 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 11% | 32 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 17% | 48 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 23/yr | 35/yr | 81 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 8.4/yr | 13 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 68/yr | 81/yr | 85 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 68/yr | 51/yr | 28 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 Richland County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in March, 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