Lee County, Kentucky · Beattyville
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With 17% of homes built before 1960 and about 18 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
February brings the most downpours to Lee County, part of 10.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
17% 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.
Lee County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.66 inches, and about 73 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
30% of occupied homes in Lee County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
About 53 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
Lee County covers 209 square miles of eastern Kentucky, with about 7,339 residents and 3,229 homes. Beattyville is the county seat. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1988.
37/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Lee County ranks 98 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lee County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Lee County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 18 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 83 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 71st of 120 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 9 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -16°F on February 20, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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 Nov 1 and end around Apr 17.
Lee gets fewer downpours than most Kentucky counties, but they still fill basements. About 10.5 days a year bring an inch or more (84th of 120), most often in February, out of 55.2 inches of total precipitation. On July 28, 2022, 3.66 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.94 inches, ending July 29, 2022, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 73 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; Lee ranks 89th, with 38% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 17% built before 1960 to 25% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 37% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 23% 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.
20% 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
About 53 nights a year in Lee County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (80th of 120 counties). July is the wettest month. 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 Lee County's occupied homes: 8% utility gas, 55% electric, 21% propane and 8% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Lee County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Estill, Jackson, Powell and Wolfe get more pipe-freeze nights than Lee. Estill County has the oldest housing nearby, with 48% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lee | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 17% | 18% | 66 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 38% | 44% | 89 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 25% | 56 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 23% | 19% | 39 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 13% | 19 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 30% | 13% | 10 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 18/yr | 20/yr | 71 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 12/yr | 84 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 73/yr | 73/yr | 55 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 53/yr | 59/yr | 80 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 Lee County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, July and December.
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