Lawrence County, Indiana · Bedford
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Pipes freeze in Lawrence County on about 29 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 35% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.1 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Lawrence County gets about 12.1 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 88 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
20% of occupied homes in Lawrence County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
With 40 muggy nights a year, mold in Lawrence County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 20,545 homes and around 45,102 residents, Lawrence County is 449 square miles of southern Indiana. The county seat is Bedford, and Mitchell, Oolitic and Avoca round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1973.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Lawrence County ranks 36 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lawrence County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Lawrence County is milder than most of Indiana, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 103 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 29 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 63rd.
On February 20, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 19.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Indiana. Of roughly 49.7 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 12.1 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 13th of 92. March, April and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.51 inches, September 9, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.94 inches (through September 10, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 88 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
58% of homes in Lawrence County predate 1980, close to the Indiana county median of 58.2%, which ranks 47th of Indiana's 92 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 35% of homes are pre-1960 and 20% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
8% 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.
Beyond water
Lawrence County averages 40 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in March. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Lawrence County homes break down as 39% utility gas, 39% electric, 16% propane and 5% 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 Lawrence County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Monroe gets more pipe-freeze nights than Lawrence. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lawrence | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 35% | 35% | 49 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 58% | 58% | 47 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 18% | 35 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.3% | 6.4% | 30 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 6.9% | 9.2% | 66 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 20% | 17% | 39 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 29/yr | 33/yr | 63 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 7.8/yr | 13 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 88/yr | 84/yr | 12 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 40/yr | 38/yr | 40 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 Lawrence County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in March, April 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