Perry County, Indiana · Tell City
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With 31% of homes built before 1960 and about 24 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
February brings the most downpours to Perry County, part of 12.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
31% 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.
Perry County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.44 inches, and about 82 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
22% of occupied homes in Perry County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
About 50 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 19,270 people live in Perry County, 382 square miles in southern Indiana, in roughly 8,597 homes. The county seat is Tell City, and Cannelton, Troy and Leopold round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1976, half after.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Perry County ranks 43 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Perry 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 24 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 94 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 78th of 92 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 13 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -9°F on February 20, 2015.
Most freezing nights fall from November to February, 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 27 and end around Apr 14.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Indiana. The county gets about 53.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 12.8 days of an inch or more (7th of 92). Those downpours cluster in February, March and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.44 inches on October 28, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.82 inches, ending February 25, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 82 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
55% of homes in Perry County predate 1980, close to the Indiana county median of 58.2%, which ranks 51st of Indiana's 92 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 31% of homes are pre-1960 and 18% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 27% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 14% 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 50 times a year here, above the Indiana county median of 38. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Perry County's occupied homes: 42% utility gas, 34% electric, 17% propane and 5% wood. Wood 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 Perry County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crawford and Dubois get more pipe-freeze nights than Perry. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Perry | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 31% | 35% | 57 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 55% | 58% | 51 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 18% | 52 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 6.4% | 11 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 9.8% | 9.2% | 38 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 17% | 32 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 24/yr | 33/yr | 78 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 7.8/yr | 7 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 82/yr | 84/yr | 53 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 50/yr | 38/yr | 19 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 Perry County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in February, March and April.
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