Daviess County, Kentucky · Owensboro
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Pipes freeze in Daviess County on about 18 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 25% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Daviess County gets about 12 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 71 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Daviess County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
With 73 muggy nights a year, mold in Daviess County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Daviess County covers 458 square miles of western Kentucky, with about 103,648 residents and 44,431 homes. Besides Owensboro, the county seat, the biggest communities are Sorgho, Masonville and Thruston. The county's median home was built in 1977.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Daviess County ranks 34 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Daviess County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
For frozen pipes, Daviess County is a typical Kentucky county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 18 nights a year at or below 20°F (71st of 120) and 81 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -5°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.
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 1 and the last spring freeze around Apr 8.
Rainfall is about average for Kentucky. About 12 days a year bring an inch or more (61st of 120), most often in February, out of 50.9 inches of total precipitation. On October 28, 2015, 3.4 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.36 inches (through September 29, 2024).
About 71 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Kentucky's 120 counties range widely in housing age; Daviess ranks 23rd, with 55% of its homes built before 1980.
25% 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 23% 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 32% 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
Daviess County averages 73 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 Daviess County it's 63% utility gas, 32% electric, 4% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Daviess County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Hancock gets more pipe-freeze nights than Daviess. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Henderson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 57% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Daviess | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 18% | 24 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 55% | 44% | 23 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 25% | 75 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.4% | 19% | 105 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 6.3% | 13% | 110 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.6% | 13% | 113 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 18/yr | 20/yr | 71 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 61 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 71/yr | 73/yr | 73 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 73/yr | 59/yr | 25 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 Daviess 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