Steuben County, Indiana · Angola
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With 29% of homes built before 1960 and about 41 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Steuben County averages 5.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
29% 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.
Steuben County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.82 inches, and about 88 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
24% of occupied homes in Steuben County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
With 19 muggy nights a year, mold in Steuben County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 19,181 homes and around 34,726 residents, Steuben County is 309 square miles of northeast Indiana. Besides Angola, the county seat, the biggest communities are Fremont, Hamilton and Jimmerson Lake. Half the homes here were built before 1981, half after.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Steuben County ranks 75 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Steuben County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Steuben County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Indiana. It averaged 126 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 41 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 1st.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -19°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.
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 26 and end around Apr 29.
Steuben gets fewer downpours than most Indiana counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 37.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.6 days of an inch or more (87th of 92). Those downpours cluster in May, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.82 inches on September 28, 2019. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.72 inches, ending September 24, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 88 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; Steuben ranks 69th, with 49% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 29% predate 1960 and 22% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 29% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
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.
With 27% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 19 times a year here, below 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Steuben County it's 60% utility gas, 15% electric, 22% propane and 2% 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 Steuben County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Steuben gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. DeKalb County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Steuben | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 29% | 35% | 60 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 58% | 69 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 18% | 24 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 6.4% | 11 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 27% | 9.2% | 1 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 17% | 28 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 41/yr | 33/yr | 1 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.6/yr | 7.8/yr | 87 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 88/yr | 84/yr | 12 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 19/yr | 38/yr | 92 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 Steuben County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, 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