Orange County, Indiana · Paoli
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With 27% 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.
July brings the most downpours to Orange County, part of 13.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Orange County gets about 13.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Orange County, 3.06 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
30% of occupied homes in Orange County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
About 38 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
About 19,767 people live in Orange County, 398 square miles in southern Indiana, in roughly 9,101 homes. Besides Paoli, the county seat, the biggest communities are Orleans, French Lick and West Baden Springs. Half the homes here were built before 1980, half after.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Orange County ranks 51 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Orange County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Indiana, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 29 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 103 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 63rd of 92 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -12°F on February 20, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 25 and end around Apr 21.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Indiana. Of roughly 52.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 13.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 3rd of 92. March, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.06 inches, September 9, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.28 inches, ending August 2, 2020, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 90 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; Orange ranks 64th, with 51% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 27% predate 1960 and 20% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 30% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Here 16% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
12% 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
About 38 nights a year in Orange County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (46th of 92 counties). July is the wettest month. 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, Orange County homes break down as 34% utility gas, 34% electric, 23% propane and 8% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Orange County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Orange gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Lawrence County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Orange | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 35% | 69 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 51% | 58% | 64 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 18% | 37 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 6.4% | 8 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 9.2% | 17 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 30% | 17% | 13 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 | 3 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 84/yr | 2 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 38/yr | 38/yr | 46 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 Orange 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