Marion County, Kentucky · Lebanon
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Marion County averages 20 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 21% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.4 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Marion County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 74 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
13% of occupied homes in Marion County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
About 57 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 8,477 homes and around 19,749 residents, Marion County is 344 square miles of central Kentucky. Lebanon is the county seat; Loretto, Bradfordsville and St. Mary are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1984, half after.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Marion County ranks 51 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Marion County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Marion County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 20 nights a year at or below 20°F (50th of 120) and 84 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 9 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -9°F on February 20, 2015.
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 1 and end around Apr 15.
Rainfall is about average for Kentucky. The county gets about 53.7 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, July and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.95 inches on September 2, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.61 inches, ending September 3, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 74 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
46% of homes in Marion County predate 1980, close to the Kentucky county median of 44.1%, which ranks 48th of Kentucky's 120 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 21% predate 1960 and 26% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
28% 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.
14% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below 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
Marion County averages 57 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Marion County homes break down as 24% utility gas, 62% electric, 8% propane and 5% wood. Wood heat is 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 Marion County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Boyle and Larue get more pipe-freeze nights than Marion. Boyle County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Marion | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 18% | 48 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 44% | 48 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 25% | 44 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 19% | 77 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 8.9% | 13% | 91 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 13% | 66 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 20/yr | 20/yr | 50 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 51 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 74/yr | 73/yr | 44 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 57/yr | 59/yr | 67 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 Marion County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, July 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