Clay County, Indiana · Brazil
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Pipes freeze in Clay County on about 31 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 38% of the stock here, are most at risk.
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 Clay County gets about 9.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Clay County, 3.03 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
14% of occupied homes in Clay County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Indiana county median of 17%.
With 48 muggy nights a year, mold in Clay County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 26,409 people live in Clay County, 358 square miles in western Indiana, in roughly 11,645 homes. Brazil is the county seat; Clay City, Harmony and Knightsville are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1974.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Clay County ranks 11 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clay County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
For frozen pipes, Clay County is a typical Indiana county, which is still plenty. It averaged 103 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 31 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 92 Indiana counties that's 51st.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -12°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 14 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 24 and the last spring freeze around Apr 17.
Rainfall is about average for Indiana. The county gets about 43.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 9.1 days of an inch or more (32nd of 92). Those downpours cluster in April, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.03 inches on June 19, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.49 inches (through September 9, 2018).
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
Indiana's 92 counties range widely in housing age; Clay ranks 44th, with 59% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 38% predate 1960 and 19% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 22% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 10% 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 48 times a year here, above the Indiana county median of 38. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Clay County homes break down as 30% utility gas, 54% electric, 11% propane and 3% 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 Clay County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Parke and Putnam get more pipe-freeze nights than Clay. Vigo County has the oldest housing nearby, with 64% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clay | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 38% | 35% | 36 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 59% | 58% | 44 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 18% | 42 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 10% | 6.4% | 22 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 9.4% | 9.2% | 44 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 17% | 58 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 31/yr | 33/yr | 51 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.1/yr | 7.8/yr | 32 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 84/yr | 84/yr | 34 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 48/yr | 38/yr | 21 of 92 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Indiana county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Clay County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, 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