Tippecanoe County, Indiana · Lafayette
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Tippecanoe County averages 36 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 23% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Tippecanoe County gets about 7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Tippecanoe County, 2.8 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
8% of occupied homes in Tippecanoe County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Indiana county median of 17%.
With 37 muggy nights a year, mold in Tippecanoe County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 80,647 homes and around 189,071 residents, Tippecanoe County is 499 square miles of western Indiana. Besides Lafayette, the county seat, the biggest communities are West Lafayette, Battle Ground and Shadeland. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1987.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Tippecanoe County ranks 70 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Tippecanoe County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Tippecanoe County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Indiana. It averaged 112 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 36 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 23rd.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 19 days below freezing (ending March 2015), and the low bottomed out near -17°F on January 2, 2018.
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 21 and end around Apr 21.
Rainfall is about average for Indiana. About 7 days a year bring an inch or more (52nd of 92), most often in July, out of 39.8 inches of total precipitation. On October 25, 2021, 2.8 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.59 inches, ending December 29, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 84 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; Tippecanoe ranks 84th, with 43% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 34% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
About 24% 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.
Renters occupy 47% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 37 times a year here, close to 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 Tippecanoe County it's 54% utility gas, 37% electric, 8% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Tippecanoe County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Benton, Montgomery, Warren and White get more pipe-freeze nights than Tippecanoe. Benton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 80% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Tippecanoe | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 35% | 77 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 43% | 58% | 84 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 34% | 18% | 6 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.5% | 6.4% | 81 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 6% | 9.2% | 76 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.1% | 17% | 71 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 36/yr | 33/yr | 23 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7/yr | 7.8/yr | 52 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 84/yr | 84/yr | 34 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 37/yr | 38/yr | 48 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 Tippecanoe 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