Montgomery County, Indiana · Crawfordsville
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Pipes freeze in Montgomery County on about 37 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 43% of the stock here, are most at risk.
July brings the most downpours to Montgomery County, part of 7.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Montgomery County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Montgomery County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.89 inches, and about 86 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
27% of occupied homes in Montgomery 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 34 times a year in Montgomery County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Montgomery County covers 505 square miles of western Indiana, with about 38,312 residents and 16,585 homes. Crawfordsville is the county seat; Ladoga, Lake Holiday and Waynetown are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1967.
63/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Montgomery County ranks 5 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Montgomery County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Montgomery is on the colder side of Indiana for pipes. It averaged 113 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 37 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 21st.
The longest cold spell was straight 16 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -16°F on January 2, 2018. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 22 and the last spring freeze around Apr 21.
Rainfall is about average for Indiana. The county gets about 41.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.3 days of an inch or more (49th of 92). Those downpours cluster in April, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.89 inches on December 27, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.88 inches (through December 29, 2015).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 86 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
Indiana's 92 counties range widely in housing age; Montgomery ranks 24th, with 66% of its homes built before 1980.
In Montgomery County 43% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 7% 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
Montgomery County averages 34 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, Montgomery County homes break down as 48% utility gas, 23% electric, 24% propane and 3% wood. Propane 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 Montgomery County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Montgomery gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Clinton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 74% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Montgomery | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 43% | 35% | 21 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 66% | 58% | 24 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 18% | 63 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7% | 6.4% | 40 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 5.9% | 9.2% | 79 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 17% | 22 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 37/yr | 33/yr | 21 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.3/yr | 7.8/yr | 49 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 86/yr | 84/yr | 24 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 34/yr | 38/yr | 60 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 Montgomery County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, 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