Fleming County, Kentucky · Flemingsburg
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Fleming County averages 25 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 23% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 8.9 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Fleming County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 84 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
21% of occupied homes in Fleming 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 38 times a year in Fleming County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 15,323 people live in Fleming County, 349 square miles in northeast Kentucky, in roughly 6,793 homes. Besides Flemingsburg, the county seat, the biggest communities are Ewing and Elizaville. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Fleming County ranks 49 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Fleming County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Fleming County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Kentucky. It averaged 96 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 25 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 2nd.
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 -15°F on February 20, 2015.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 30 and end around Apr 20.
Fleming gets fewer downpours than most Kentucky counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 52 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.9 days of an inch or more (102nd of 120). Those downpours cluster in February, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.18 inches on May 19, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.36 inches, ending September 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 84 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
45% of homes in Fleming County predate 1980, close to the Kentucky county median of 44.1%, which ranks 55th of Kentucky's 120 counties.
23% 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.
26% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
29% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Kentucky county median of 18.5%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 38 times a year here, below the Kentucky county median of 59. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Fleming County's occupied homes: 10% utility gas, 67% electric, 12% propane and 9% wood. Wood heat is more common here than in most Kentucky counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Fleming County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Lewis gets more pipe-freeze nights than Fleming. Nicholas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Fleming | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 18% | 37 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 44% | 55 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29% | 25% | 27 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 29% | 19% | 21 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 13% | 55 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 21% | 13% | 33 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 25/yr | 20/yr | 2 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.9/yr | 12/yr | 102 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 84/yr | 73/yr | 7 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 38/yr | 59/yr | 112 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 Fleming County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, June 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