Martin County, Indiana · Shoals
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With 25% of homes built before 1960 and about 29 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.7 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
25% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Martin County, 3.13 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
28% of occupied homes in Martin County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 43 times a year in Martin County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Martin County covers 336 square miles of southern Indiana, with about 9,830 residents and 4,583 homes. Shoals is the county seat; Loogootee, Crane and Burns City are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1981.
48/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Martin County ranks 53 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Martin County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Martin County is milder than most of Indiana, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 29 nights a year at or below 20°F (63rd of 92) and 101 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -10°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. About 12.7 days a year bring an inch or more (8th of 92), most often in July, out of 51.1 inches of total precipitation. On September 9, 2018, 3.13 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.57 inches (through September 10, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 87 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
Roughly 49% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Martin among the newer housing stocks of Indiana's 92 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 25% predate 1960 and 17% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 34% 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 17% 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.
15% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Martin County averages 43 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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, Martin County homes break down as 37% utility gas, 33% electric, 19% propane and 9% 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 Martin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Greene gets more pipe-freeze nights than Martin. Lawrence County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Martin | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 35% | 74 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 58% | 68 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 18% | 58 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 17% | 6.4% | 5 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 9.2% | 12 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 28% | 17% | 17 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 29/yr | 33/yr | 63 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 7.8/yr | 8 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 87/yr | 84/yr | 19 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 43/yr | 38/yr | 31 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 Martin 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