Washington County, Indiana · Salem
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Washington County averages 26 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 27% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Washington County averages 12.2 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Washington County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 85 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
24% of occupied homes in Washington County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Indiana county median of 17%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 46 times a year in Washington County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Washington County covers 514 square miles of southern Indiana, with about 28,212 residents and 12,222 homes. The county seat is Salem, and New Pekin, Campbellsburg and Martinsburg round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1982, half after.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Washington County ranks 60 of 92 Indiana counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Washington County ranks highest compared with other Indiana counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Indiana, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 26 nights a year at or below 20°F (71st of 92) and 98 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -12°F on February 20, 2015. 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 25 and end around Apr 18.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Indiana. The county gets about 51.1 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 12.2 days of an inch or more (12th of 92). Those downpours cluster in February, March and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.54 inches on September 9, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.68 inches, ending September 10, 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 85 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
47% of homes in Washington County predate 1980, below the Indiana county median of 58.2%, which ranks 78th of Indiana's 92 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 24% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
29% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 19% 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
Washington County averages 46 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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, Washington County homes break down as 22% utility gas, 52% electric, 15% propane and 9% 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 Washington County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crawford, Lawrence and Orange get more pipe-freeze nights than Washington. Lawrence County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Washington | Indiana median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 35% | 68 of 92 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 58% | 78 of 92 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 24% | 18% | 18 of 92 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 6.4% | 2 of 92 |
| Vacant homes | 8.1% | 9.2% | 59 of 92 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 17% | 28 of 92 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 26/yr | 33/yr | 71 of 92 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 7.8/yr | 12 of 92 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 85/yr | 84/yr | 30 of 92 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 46/yr | 38/yr | 25 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 Washington County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, March 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