Carlisle County, Kentucky · Bardwell
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With 24% of homes built before 1960 and about 14 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
March brings the most downpours to Carlisle County, part of 14.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Carlisle County spike on heavy-rain days, about 14.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Carlisle County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.88 inches, and about 57 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
36% of occupied homes in Carlisle County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 89 times a year in Carlisle County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Carlisle County covers 189 square miles of southwest Kentucky, with about 4,762 residents and 2,307 homes. Besides Bardwell, the county seat, the biggest communities are Cunningham and Arlington. The county's median home was built in 1979.
61/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Carlisle County ranks 22 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Carlisle County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Carlisle County is milder than most of Kentucky, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 66 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 14 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 120 Kentucky counties that's 113th.
On February 19, 2015 the low fell to about -4°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 10 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs December to February, 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 5 and the last spring freeze around Mar 26.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kentucky. The county gets about 53.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 14.8 days of an inch or more (5th of 120). Those downpours cluster in February, March and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.88 inches on October 29, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.24 inches (through August 5, 2023).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 57 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
Kentucky's 120 counties range widely in housing age; Carlisle ranks 36th, with 51% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 24% 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.
About 27% 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.
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.
19% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
About 89 nights a year in Carlisle County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (6th of 120 counties). March is the wettest month. 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, Carlisle County homes break down as 26% utility gas, 37% electric, 35% propane and 2% wood. Propane 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 Carlisle County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Ballard, Graves and McCracken get more pipe-freeze nights than Carlisle. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Graves County has the oldest housing nearby, with 57% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Carlisle | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 24% | 18% | 33 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 51% | 44% | 36 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 25% | 76 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 19% | 58 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 19% | 13% | 21 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 36% | 13% | 6 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 14/yr | 20/yr | 113 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 12/yr | 5 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 57/yr | 73/yr | 115 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 89/yr | 59/yr | 6 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 Carlisle County: freezing from December to February, 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