Bourbon County, Kentucky · Paris
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Bourbon County averages 23 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 29% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.3 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
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.
In Bourbon County, 3.24 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 Bourbon County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
About 49 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Bourbon County covers 290 square miles of northeast Kentucky, with about 20,240 residents and 9,181 homes. Besides Paris, the county seat, the biggest communities are Millersburg and North Middletown. The county's median home was built in 1979.
63/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Bourbon County ranks 10 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Bourbon County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Bourbon is on the colder side of Kentucky for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 23 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 88 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 9th of 120 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 10 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -16°F on February 20, 2015.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 2 and the last spring freeze around Apr 17.
Bourbon gets fewer downpours than most Kentucky counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 51.8 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 9.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 98th of 120. February, March and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.24 inches, May 19, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.79 inches (through September 25, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 76 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
Kentucky's 120 counties range widely in housing age; Bourbon ranks 35th, with 51% of its homes built before 1980.
29% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
About 32% 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 36% 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
Bourbon County averages 49 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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 Bourbon County it's 31% utility gas, 60% electric, 7% propane and 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 Bourbon County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Nicholas gets more pipe-freeze nights than Bourbon. Nicholas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Bourbon | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 29% | 18% | 9 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 51% | 44% | 35 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 25% | 111 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.7% | 19% | 104 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 13% | 76 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.9% | 13% | 86 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 23/yr | 20/yr | 9 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.3/yr | 12/yr | 98 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 76/yr | 73/yr | 31 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 49/yr | 59/yr | 90 of 120 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Kentucky county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Bourbon County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, March and September.
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