Tazewell County, Illinois · Pekin
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Pipes freeze in Tazewell County on about 38 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 38% of the stock here, are most at risk.
June brings the most downpours to Tazewell County, part of 7.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
38% 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.
Tazewell County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.79 inches, and about 81 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
6% of occupied homes in Tazewell County heat mainly with wood or propane, below 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
With 58,731 homes and around 130,290 residents, Tazewell County is 646 square miles of central Illinois. Pekin is the county seat; East Peoria, Morton and Washington are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1969, half after.
48/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Tazewell County ranks 65 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Tazewell County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Tazewell County sits near the middle of the state. 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.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 15 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -18°F on January 30, 2019.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 24 and end around Apr 18.
Rainfall is about average for Illinois. The county gets about 39 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.6 days of an inch or more (67th of 102). Those downpours cluster in May, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.79 inches on September 28, 2019. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.71 inches, ending September 30, 2019, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 81 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
Roughly 72% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Tazewell among the oldest housing stocks of Illinois's 102 counties.
The mix runs from 38% built before 1960 to 15% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
Beyond water
Tazewell County averages 51 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 Tazewell County's occupied homes: 73% utility gas, 20% electric, 6% 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 Tazewell County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Fulton, McLean, Peoria and Woodford get more pipe-freeze nights than Tazewell. Mason County has the oldest housing nearby, with 82% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Tazewell | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 38% | 38% | 57 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 72% | 66% | 31 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 15% | 51 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.7% | 5.6% | 90 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 8% | 11% | 78 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 6.2% | 17% | 84 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 38/yr | 35/yr | 39 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.6/yr | 8.4/yr | 67 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 81/yr | 81/yr | 46 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 Tazewell County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June and July.
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