Franklin County, Indiana · Brookville
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Franklin County averages 30 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 25% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.7 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Franklin County gets about 7.7 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 83 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
39% of occupied homes in Franklin County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 42 times a year in Franklin County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 9,796 homes and around 23,020 residents, Franklin County is 384 square miles of eastern Indiana. Besides Brookville, the county seat, the biggest communities are Oldenburg, Metamora and Laurel. The county's median home was built in 1981.
39/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Franklin County ranks 85 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Franklin County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
For frozen pipes, Franklin County is a typical Indiana county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 30 nights a year at or below 20°F (59th of 92) and 103 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 3, 2018 the low fell to about -10°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 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 28 and the last spring freeze around Apr 18.
Rainfall is about average for Indiana. About 7.7 days a year bring an inch or more (47th of 92), most often in February, out of 45.3 inches of total precipitation. On September 9, 2016, 3.06 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.93 inches (through September 10, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 83 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
Roughly 49% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Franklin among the newer housing stocks of Indiana's 92 counties.
The mix runs from 25% built before 1960 to 21% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 31% 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 12% 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
About 42 nights a year in Franklin County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (34th of 92 counties). June 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 expectMain heating fuel in Franklin County's occupied homes: 20% utility gas, 36% electric, 30% propane and 10% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Indiana counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Franklin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Fayette, Rush and Union get more pipe-freeze nights than Franklin. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Fayette County has the oldest housing nearby, with 75% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Franklin | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 35% | 72 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 58% | 71 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 18% | 34 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 6.4% | 14 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 6% | 9.2% | 76 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 39% | 17% | 3 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 30/yr | 33/yr | 59 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.7/yr | 7.8/yr | 47 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 83/yr | 84/yr | 47 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 42/yr | 38/yr | 34 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 Franklin County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, March and April.
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