Rock Island County, Illinois · Rock Island
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With 46% of homes built before 1960 and about 47 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.7 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
46% 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.
In Rock Island County, 2.99 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
3% of occupied homes in Rock Island 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
Rock Island County covers 427 square miles of northwest Illinois, with about 142,757 residents and 66,759 homes. Rock Island is the county seat; Moline, East Moline and Silvis are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1962.
61/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Rock Island County ranks 18 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Rock Island County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Rock Island is on the colder side of Illinois for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 47 nights a year at or below 20°F (14th of 102) and 120 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 16 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -29°F on January 31, 2019.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 26 and the last spring freeze around Apr 21.
Rainfall is about average for Illinois. Of roughly 38.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 7.7 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 65th of 102. June, July and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.99 inches, July 22, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.94 inches (through May 1, 2019).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 84 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
76% of homes in Rock Island County predate 1980, above the Illinois county median of 65.9%, which ranks 15th of Illinois's 102 counties.
Before 1960 is when 46% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
Renters occupy 30% 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 41 times a year here, below 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Rock Island County homes break down as 78% utility gas, 18% electric, 3% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Rock Island County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Mercer and Whiteside get more pipe-freeze nights than Rock Island. Henry County has the oldest housing nearby, with 79% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Rock Island | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 46% | 38% | 29 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 76% | 66% | 15 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 10% | 15% | 79 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.7% | 5.6% | 77 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 7.5% | 11% | 84 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.1% | 17% | 94 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 47/yr | 35/yr | 14 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.7/yr | 8.4/yr | 65 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 Rock Island County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July and September.
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