Mercer County, Kentucky · Harrodsburg
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With 24% of homes built before 1960 and about 21 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.8 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Mercer County gets about 11.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Mercer County, 3.65 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
8% of occupied homes in Mercer County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
About 60 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 10,472 homes and around 23,028 residents, Mercer County is 249 square miles of central Kentucky. Harrodsburg is the county seat; Burgin and Salvisa are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1978, half after.
63/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Mercer County ranks 17 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Mercer County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Mercer County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Kentucky. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 21 nights a year at or below 20°F (35th of 120) and 83 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 -14°F on February 21, 2015.
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 14.
Rainfall is about average for Kentucky. Of roughly 53.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 11.8 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 64th of 120. February, July and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.65 inches, September 2, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.89 inches, ending September 3, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
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
54% of homes in Mercer County predate 1980, above the Kentucky county median of 44.1%, which ranks 26th of Kentucky's 120 counties.
Before 1960 is when 24% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 7% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 60 times a year here, close to the Kentucky county median of 59. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Mercer County homes break down as 24% utility gas, 67% electric, 6% propane and 2% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Mercer County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Anderson and Boyle get more pipe-freeze nights than Mercer. Boyle County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Mercer | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 24% | 18% | 27 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 54% | 44% | 26 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 25% | 49 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.1% | 19% | 101 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 13% | 71 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.8% | 13% | 87 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 21/yr | 20/yr | 35 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 64 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 73/yr | 73/yr | 55 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 60/yr | 59/yr | 51 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 Mercer 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