Schuyler County, Illinois · Rushville
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Schuyler County averages 38 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 38% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.1 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 Schuyler County gets about 9.1 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 77 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
32% of occupied homes in Schuyler County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
About 51 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
About 6,787 people live in Schuyler County, 437 square miles in western Illinois, in roughly 3,306 homes. The county seat is Rushville, and Littleton, Browning and Camden round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1971.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Schuyler County ranks 35 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Schuyler County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
For frozen pipes, Schuyler County is a typical Illinois county, which is still plenty. It averaged 106 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 38 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 39th.
The longest cold spell was straight 15 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -14°F on January 30, 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 23 and the last spring freeze around Apr 14.
Rainfall is about average for Illinois. About 9.1 days a year bring an inch or more (40th of 102), most often in July, out of 39 inches of total precipitation. On August 29, 2018, 2.99 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.25 inches (through September 8, 2018).
About 77 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
69% of homes in Schuyler County predate 1980, close to the Illinois county median of 65.9%, which ranks 43rd of Illinois's 102 counties.
The mix runs from 38% built before 1960 to 16% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
11% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Illinois county median of 5.6%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
With 17% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
About 51 nights a year in Schuyler County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (48th of 102 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Schuyler County homes break down as 39% utility gas, 28% electric, 29% 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 Schuyler County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Fulton, Hancock and McDonough get more pipe-freeze nights than Schuyler. Mason County has the oldest housing nearby, with 82% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Schuyler | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 38% | 38% | 55 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 69% | 66% | 43 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 15% | 41 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 5.6% | 26 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 11% | 15 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 32% | 17% | 10 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 38/yr | 35/yr | 39 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.1/yr | 8.4/yr | 40 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 77/yr | 81/yr | 61 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 51/yr | 51/yr | 48 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 Schuyler 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