Jennings County, Indiana · Vernon
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Pipes freeze in Jennings County on about 24 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 20% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Jennings County averages 9.9 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Jennings County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 79 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
19% of occupied homes in Jennings County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Indiana county median of 17%.
With 48 muggy nights a year, mold in Jennings County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 27,562 people live in Jennings County, 377 square miles in southeast Indiana, in roughly 11,731 homes. The county seat is Vernon, and North Vernon, Country Squire Lakes and Hayden round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1982, half after.
37/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Jennings County ranks 90 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jennings County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Indiana, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 93 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 24 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 78th.
On February 21, 2015 the low fell to about -11°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 13 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 31 and end around Apr 17.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Indiana. About 9.9 days a year bring an inch or more (27th of 92), most often in July, out of 48.8 inches of total precipitation. On July 14, 2015, 3.48 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.73 inches, ending July 14, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 79 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Indiana's 92 counties range widely in housing age; Jennings ranks 79th, with 47% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 20% predate 1960 and 18% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 35% 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 18% 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 48 nights a year in Jennings County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (21st of 92 counties). July is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Jennings County homes break down as 14% utility gas, 64% electric, 12% propane and 7% wood. Wood heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Jennings County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson and Ripley get more pipe-freeze nights than Jennings. Jefferson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 65% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jennings | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 20% | 35% | 81 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 58% | 79 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 18% | 45 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 6.4% | 4 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 6.7% | 9.2% | 69 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 17% | 42 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 24/yr | 33/yr | 78 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.9/yr | 7.8/yr | 27 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 79/yr | 84/yr | 70 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 Jennings County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, March 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