Fulton County, Indiana · Rochester
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Fulton County averages 38 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 45% of its homes predate 1960.
June brings the most downpours to Fulton County, part of 5.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Fulton County gets about 5.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Fulton County, 3.5 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
27% of occupied homes in Fulton County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
About 29 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 9,584 homes and around 20,312 residents, Fulton County is 368 square miles of northern Indiana. Besides Rochester, the county seat, the biggest communities are Akron, Kewanna and Nyona Lake. Half the homes here were built before 1966, half after.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Fulton County ranks 39 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Fulton County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Fulton County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Indiana. It averaged 119 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 92 Indiana counties that's 11th.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -18°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 19 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 24 and end around Apr 28.
Fulton gets fewer downpours than most Indiana counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 39.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.7 days of an inch or more (84th of 92). Those downpours cluster in April, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.5 inches on September 28, 2019. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.81 inches, ending February 21, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 89 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
66% of homes in Fulton County predate 1980, above the Indiana county median of 58.2%, which ranks 25th of Indiana's 92 counties.
In Fulton County 45% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
12% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Indiana county median of 6.4%. 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.
The Census counted 16% of homes as vacant, above the Indiana county median of 9.2%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 29 times a year here, below 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, Fulton County homes break down as 54% utility gas, 17% electric, 22% propane and 5% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Indiana norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Fulton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Pulaski gets more pipe-freeze nights than Fulton. Cass County has the oldest housing nearby, with 78% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Fulton | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 35% | 20 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 66% | 58% | 25 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 18% | 69 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 6.4% | 17 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 9.2% | 8 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 17% | 20 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 38/yr | 33/yr | 11 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.7/yr | 7.8/yr | 84 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 89/yr | 84/yr | 10 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 29/yr | 38/yr | 82 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 Fulton 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