Nicholas County, Kentucky · Carlisle
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Pipes freeze in Nicholas County on about 24 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 38% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.3 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 Nicholas County gets about 9.3 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 80 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
23% of occupied homes in Nicholas County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
About 45 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 3,333 homes and around 7,708 residents, Nicholas County is 195 square miles of northeast Kentucky. The county seat is Carlisle. The county's median home was built in 1972.
65/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Nicholas County ranks 8 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Nicholas County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
Nicholas is on the colder side of Kentucky for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 24 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 92 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 4th of 120 counties.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -16°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 10 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 30 and the last spring freeze around Apr 17.
Nicholas gets fewer downpours than most Kentucky counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 51.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 9.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 98th of 120. February, March and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.39 inches, May 19, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.91 inches (through September 10, 2018).
About 80 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; Nicholas ranks 3rd, with 62% of its homes built before 1980.
In Nicholas County 38% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 19% 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.
17% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 45 times a year here, below 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 expectMain heating fuel in Nicholas County's occupied homes: 11% utility gas, 62% electric, 16% propane and 7% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Kentucky counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Nicholas County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Fleming gets more pipe-freeze nights than Nicholas. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Nicholas | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 38% | 18% | 2 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 44% | 3 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 25% | 112 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 19% | 57 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 13% | 32 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 23% | 13% | 27 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 24/yr | 20/yr | 4 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.3/yr | 12/yr | 98 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 80/yr | 73/yr | 14 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 45/yr | 59/yr | 97 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 Nicholas County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, March 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