Bracken County, Kentucky · Brooksville
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Pipes freeze in Bracken County on about 24 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 28% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in February. Bracken County averages 9.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Bracken County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 79 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
11% of occupied homes in Bracken County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
With 45 muggy nights a year, mold in Bracken County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Bracken County covers 203 square miles of northeast Kentucky, with about 8,444 residents and 3,860 homes. Brooksville is the county seat; Augusta and Germantown are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
63/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Bracken County ranks 11 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Bracken County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Bracken County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Kentucky. From 2015–2024 it averaged 24 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 93 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 4th of 120 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 13 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -12°F on February 20, 2015.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 2 and end around Apr 18.
Bracken gets fewer downpours than most Kentucky counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 49.7 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 9.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 94th of 120. February, March and June see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.29 inches, September 9, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.98 inches, ending September 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 79 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
44% of homes in Bracken County predate 1980, close to the Kentucky county median of 44.1%, which ranks 63rd of Kentucky's 120 counties.
Before 1960 is when 28% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 31% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 29% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 45 times a year here, below the Kentucky county median of 59. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Bracken County homes break down as 26% utility gas, 59% electric, 7% propane and 4% wood. Wood heat is 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 Bracken County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Mason gets more pipe-freeze nights than Bracken. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Mason County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Bracken | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 28% | 18% | 15 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 44% | 44% | 63 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 25% | 49 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 29% | 19% | 18 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 13% | 63 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 13% | 75 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 24/yr | 20/yr | 4 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.6/yr | 12/yr | 94 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 79/yr | 73/yr | 19 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 45/yr | 59/yr | 97 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 Bracken County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, March and June.
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