Union County, Indiana · Liberty
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Union County averages 32 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 42% of its homes predate 1960.
March brings the most downpours to Union County, part of 8.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
42% 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.
In Union County, 2.95 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
31% of occupied homes in Union County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
With 37 muggy nights a year, mold in Union County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 3,255 homes and around 6,985 residents, Union County is 161 square miles of eastern Indiana. The county seat is Liberty, and West College Corner and Brownsville round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1970.
58/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Union County ranks 19 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Union County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
For frozen pipes, Union County is a typical Indiana county, which is still plenty. It averaged 108 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 32 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 47th.
On January 3, 2018 the low fell to about -12°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 14 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 24 and the last spring freeze around Apr 22.
Rainfall is about average for Indiana. The county gets about 45.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.1 days of an inch or more (41st of 92). Those downpours cluster in March, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.95 inches on June 19, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.44 inches (through September 9, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 84 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 67% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Union among the oldest housing stocks of Indiana's 92 counties.
In Union County 42% 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.
Beyond water
Union County averages 37 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Union County it's 21% utility gas, 38% electric, 26% propane and 6% 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 Union County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Wayne gets more pipe-freeze nights than Union. Wayne County has the oldest housing nearby, with 79% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Union | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 42% | 35% | 23 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 67% | 58% | 23 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 18% | 72 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.8% | 6.4% | 48 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 9.7% | 9.2% | 41 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 31% | 17% | 11 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 32/yr | 33/yr | 47 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.1/yr | 7.8/yr | 41 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 Union 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