Jessamine County, Kentucky · Nicholasville
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Jessamine County averages 21 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 11% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in February. Jessamine County averages 11 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Jessamine County gets about 11 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.
4% of occupied homes in Jessamine County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
About 61 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 21,198 homes and around 54,588 residents, Jessamine County is 172 square miles of central Kentucky. Besides Nicholasville, the county seat, the biggest communities are Wilmore, Keene and High Bridge. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1992.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Jessamine County ranks 89 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jessamine County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Jessamine is on the colder side of Kentucky for pipes. It averaged 82 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 21 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 35th.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -15°F on February 21, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 2 and the last spring freeze around Apr 15.
Rainfall is about average for Kentucky. The county gets about 53.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 11 days of an inch or more (75th of 120). Those downpours cluster in February, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.51 inches on April 3, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.98 inches (through April 4, 2015).
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; Jessamine ranks 113th, with 30% of its homes built before 1980.
35% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Kentucky. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 35% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Renters occupy 33% 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 61 times a year here, close to the Kentucky county median of 59. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Jessamine County's occupied homes: 33% utility gas, 63% electric, 2% propane and 1% 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 Jessamine County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Jessamine gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Mercer County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jessamine | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 11% | 18% | 103 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 30% | 44% | 113 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 35% | 25% | 10 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.7% | 19% | 112 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 6.1% | 13% | 112 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.5% | 13% | 117 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 21/yr | 20/yr | 35 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 12/yr | 75 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 71/yr | 73/yr | 73 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 61/yr | 59/yr | 44 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 Jessamine County: freezing from December to February, 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