Howard County, Indiana · Kokomo
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Pipes freeze in Howard County on about 35 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 37% of the stock here, are most at risk.
June brings the most downpours to Howard County, part of 6.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Howard County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Howard County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.62 inches, and about 82 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
4% of occupied homes in Howard County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Indiana county median of 17%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 32 times a year in Howard County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Howard County covers 293 square miles of northern Indiana, with about 83,752 residents and 39,876 homes. Kokomo is the county seat; Greentown, Russiaville and Center are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1969.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Howard County ranks 50 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Howard County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Howard is on the colder side of Indiana for pipes. It averaged 111 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 35 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 30th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 19 days below freezing (ending March 2015), and the low bottomed out near -16°F on January 2, 2018.
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 24 and the last spring freeze around Apr 23.
Rainfall is about average for Indiana. About 6.6 days a year bring an inch or more (58th of 92), most often in June, out of 41 inches of total precipitation. On May 31, 2015, 2.62 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.64 inches (through September 9, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 82 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
Indiana's 92 counties range widely in housing age; Howard ranks 27th, with 65% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 37% of homes are pre-1960 and 14% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Renters occupy 29% 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
Howard County averages 32 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Howard County's occupied homes: 69% utility gas, 27% electric, 3% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Howard County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Carroll, Cass and Clinton get more pipe-freeze nights than Howard. Cass County has the oldest housing nearby, with 78% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Howard | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 37% | 35% | 37 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 65% | 58% | 27 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 18% | 68 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.2% | 6.4% | 73 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 9.2% | 27 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.1% | 17% | 83 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 35/yr | 33/yr | 30 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.6/yr | 7.8/yr | 58 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 82/yr | 84/yr | 53 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 32/yr | 38/yr | 70 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 Howard County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June 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