Newton County, Indiana · Kentland
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Newton County averages 40 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 40% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.9 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Newton County gets about 5.9 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 90 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
32% of occupied homes in Newton 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 33 times a year in Newton County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 13,922 people live in Newton County, 402 square miles in northwest Indiana, in roughly 6,093 homes. The county seat is Kentland, and Roselawn, Morocco and Brook round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1971.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Newton County ranks 20 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Newton County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Newton is on the colder side of Indiana for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 40 nights a year at or below 20°F (2nd of 92) and 119 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -20°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 19 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 24.
Newton gets fewer downpours than most Indiana counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 40.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.9 days of an inch or more (79th of 92). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.87 inches on August 6, 2023. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.75 inches (through February 21, 2018).
About 90 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; Newton ranks 17th, with 70% of its homes built before 1980.
In Newton County 40% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 33 times a year here, below the Indiana county median of 38. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Newton County it's 59% utility gas, 9% electric, 29% propane and 4% 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 Newton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Newton gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Benton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 80% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Newton | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 40% | 35% | 30 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 70% | 58% | 17 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 18% | 70 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7% | 6.4% | 40 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 6% | 9.2% | 76 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 32% | 17% | 9 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 40/yr | 33/yr | 2 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.9/yr | 7.8/yr | 79 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 84/yr | 2 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 33/yr | 38/yr | 63 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 Newton County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July and August.
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