Randolph County, Indiana · Winchester
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Pipes freeze in Randolph County on about 34 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 52% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in March. Randolph County averages 6.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Randolph County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 82 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
22% of occupied homes in Randolph County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
With 31 muggy nights a year, mold in Randolph County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 11,412 homes and around 24,387 residents, Randolph County is 452 square miles of eastern Indiana. Besides Winchester, the county seat, the biggest communities are Union City, Farmland and Parker City. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1958.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Randolph County ranks 22 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Randolph County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Randolph County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 34 nights a year at or below 20°F (37th of 92) and 110 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 19 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2015. The coldest night reached about -13°F on January 2, 2018. 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 22 and end around Apr 25.
Rainfall is about average for Indiana. Of roughly 42.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 58th of 92. March, April and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.1 inches, November 6, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.11 inches, ending September 9, 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
Roughly 76% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Randolph among the oldest housing stocks of Indiana's 92 counties.
In Randolph County 52% 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.
Here 8% 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.
Beyond water
About 31 nights a year in Randolph County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (76th of 92 counties). June is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Randolph County homes break down as 43% utility gas, 30% electric, 17% propane and 5% wood. Wood heat is 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 Randolph County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Randolph gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Wayne County has the oldest housing nearby, with 79% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Randolph | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 52% | 35% | 5 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 76% | 58% | 4 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 10% | 18% | 80 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.3% | 6.4% | 30 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 9.2% | 9.2% | 46 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 17% | 33 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 34/yr | 33/yr | 37 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.6/yr | 7.8/yr | 58 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 82/yr | 84/yr | 53 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 31/yr | 38/yr | 76 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 Randolph County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in March, April 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