Henderson County, Kentucky · Henderson
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Henderson County averages 17 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 28% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.4 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 Henderson County gets about 12.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Henderson County, 2.9 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
6% of occupied homes in Henderson County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 84 times a year in Henderson County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Henderson County covers 436 square miles of western Kentucky, with about 44,280 residents and 20,151 homes. Henderson is the county seat; Corydon, Robards and Spottsville are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1976, half after.
62/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Henderson County ranks 20 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Henderson County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Kentucky, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 17 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 76 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 86th of 120 counties.
On December 23, 2022 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.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 4 and end around Apr 3.
Rainfall is about average for Kentucky. The county gets about 48.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 12.4 days of an inch or more (51st of 120). Those downpours cluster in February, March and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.9 inches on October 29, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.26 inches, ending June 30, 2020, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 65 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; Henderson ranks 10th, with 57% of its homes built before 1980.
28% 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 25% 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 9% 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 35% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 84 times a year here, above the Kentucky county median of 59. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Henderson County homes break down as 42% utility gas, 52% electric, 6% 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 Henderson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Daviess and Union get more pipe-freeze nights than Henderson. Union County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Henderson | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 28% | 18% | 15 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 57% | 44% | 10 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 25% | 108 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.2% | 19% | 93 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 8.1% | 13% | 97 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 6.1% | 13% | 99 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 17/yr | 20/yr | 86 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 51 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 65/yr | 73/yr | 97 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 84/yr | 59/yr | 12 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 Henderson 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