Jackson County, Indiana · Brownstown
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Pipes freeze in Jackson County on about 25 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 29% of the stock here, are most at risk.
March brings the most downpours to Jackson County, part of 11.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Jackson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 11.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Jackson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.38 inches, and about 81 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
12% of occupied homes in Jackson County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Indiana county median of 17%.
With 47 muggy nights a year, mold in Jackson County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 19,351 homes and around 46,660 residents, Jackson County is 510 square miles of southern Indiana. Besides Brownstown, the county seat, the biggest communities are Seymour, Crothersville and Medora. The county's median home was built in 1978.
48/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Jackson County ranks 52 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jackson County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Jackson County is milder than most of Indiana, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 96 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 25 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 75th.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -11°F on February 21, 2015. 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 30 and the last spring freeze around Apr 17.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Indiana. About 11.7 days a year bring an inch or more (17th of 92), most often in March, out of 48.8 inches of total precipitation. On September 9, 2018, 3.38 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.66 inches (through September 10, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 81 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
52% of homes in Jackson County predate 1980, below the Indiana county median of 58.2%, which ranks 58th of Indiana's 92 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 29% of homes are pre-1960 and 21% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
27% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Here 12% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
Jackson County averages 47 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Jackson County homes break down as 29% utility gas, 57% electric, 8% propane and 4% wood. Wood heat is 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 Jackson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bartholomew, Brown, Lawrence, Monroe and Washington get more pipe-freeze nights than Jackson. Lawrence County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jackson | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 29% | 35% | 59 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 52% | 58% | 58 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 18% | 32 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 6.4% | 15 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 6.3% | 9.2% | 74 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 17% | 61 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 25/yr | 33/yr | 75 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 7.8/yr | 17 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 81/yr | 84/yr | 62 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 47/yr | 38/yr | 23 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 Jackson County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in March, 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