Hart County, Kentucky · Munfordville
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Hart 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 14.5 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
23% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Hart County, 3.63 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
20% of occupied homes in Hart County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
About 59 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
With 8,929 homes and around 19,603 residents, Hart County is 413 square miles of southern Kentucky. The county seat is Munfordville, and Horse Cave, Bonnieville and Hardyville round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1983.
67/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hart County ranks 3 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hart County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
For frozen pipes, Hart County is a typical Kentucky county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 20 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 82 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 50th of 120 counties.
On February 19, 2015 the low fell to about -10°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 9 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 9.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kentucky. Of roughly 56.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 14.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 12th of 120. February, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.63 inches, September 2, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.13 inches (through September 3, 2017).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 73 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 46% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Hart near the middle of Kentucky's 120 counties.
In Hart 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.
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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 18% 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.
17% 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
Hart County averages 59 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in February. 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 Hart County it's 15% utility gas, 62% electric, 14% propane and 6% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Kentucky norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Hart County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Hardin and Larue get more pipe-freeze nights than Hart. Green County has the oldest housing nearby, with 56% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hart | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 18% | 35 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 44% | 46 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 28% | 25% | 33 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 19% | 62 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 13% | 26 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 20% | 13% | 39 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 20/yr | 20/yr | 50 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 12/yr | 12 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 73/yr | 73/yr | 55 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 59/yr | 59/yr | 58 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 Hart County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, June 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