Vermilion County, Illinois · Danville
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With 53% of homes built before 1960 and about 37 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
June brings the most downpours to Vermilion County, part of 6.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
53% 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 Vermilion County, 3.69 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
9% of occupied homes in Vermilion County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Illinois county median of 16.5%.
With 39 muggy nights a year, mold in Vermilion County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 72,386 people live in Vermilion County, 898 square miles in eastern Illinois, in roughly 34,327 homes. The county seat is Danville, and Hoopeston, Westville and Georgetown round out the largest towns. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1957.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Vermilion County ranks 53 of 102 Illinois counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Vermilion County ranks highest compared with other Illinois counties.
For frozen pipes, Vermilion County is a typical Illinois county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 37 nights a year at or below 20°F (42nd of 102) and 114 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 16 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -16°F on January 31, 2019. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 22 and the last spring freeze around Apr 22.
Vermilion gets fewer downpours than most Illinois counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 40.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.2 days of an inch or more (99th of 102). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.69 inches on July 10, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.85 inches (through December 29, 2015).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 90 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
79% of homes in Vermilion County predate 1980, above the Illinois county median of 65.9%, which ranks 9th of Illinois's 102 counties.
Before 1960 is when 53% 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 39 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 expectMain heating fuel in Vermilion County's occupied homes: 54% utility gas, 37% electric, 8% propane and 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Vermilion County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Ford and Iroquois get more pipe-freeze nights than Vermilion. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Ford County has the oldest housing nearby, with 82% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Vermilion | Illinois median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 53% | 38% | 6 of 102 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 79% | 66% | 9 of 102 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 7.1% | 15% | 99 of 102 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.3% | 5.6% | 54 of 102 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 11% | 34 of 102 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.5% | 17% | 77 of 102 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 37/yr | 35/yr | 42 of 102 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.2/yr | 8.4/yr | 99 of 102 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 81/yr | 7 of 102 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 39/yr | 51/yr | 76 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 Vermilion 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