Carroll County, Kentucky · Carrollton
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Carroll County averages 20 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 23% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.8 times a year here, most often in March. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Carroll County gets about 9.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 68 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
13% of occupied homes in Carroll County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
About 69 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
About 10,954 people live in Carroll County, 129 square miles in northern Kentucky, in roughly 4,693 homes. The county seat is Carrollton, and Sanders, Ghent and Prestonville round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1983.
54/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Carroll County ranks 53 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Carroll County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
For frozen pipes, Carroll County is a typical Kentucky county, which is still plenty. It averaged 79 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 20 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 50th.
On February 21, 2015 the low fell to about -12°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 13 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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 Nov 5 and the last spring freeze around Apr 7.
Carroll gets fewer downpours than most Kentucky counties, but they still fill basements. About 9.8 days a year bring an inch or more (90th of 120), most often in March, out of 51.2 inches of total precipitation. On September 2, 2017, 3.28 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.21 inches (through September 29, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 68 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
Roughly 45% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Carroll near the middle of Kentucky's 120 counties.
In Carroll County 23% 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.
About 35% 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.
Here 20% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Renters occupy 34% 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
Carroll County averages 69 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Carroll County it's 32% utility gas, 53% electric, 10% propane and 2% 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 Carroll County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Henry, Owen and Trimble get more pipe-freeze nights than Carroll. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Henry County has the oldest housing nearby, with 56% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Carroll | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 18% | 37 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 44% | 53 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 25% | 95 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 20% | 19% | 53 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 13% | 82 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 13% | 65 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 20/yr | 20/yr | 50 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.8/yr | 12/yr | 90 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 68/yr | 73/yr | 89 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 69/yr | 59/yr | 30 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 Carroll 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