Ohio County, Kentucky · Hartford
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Pipes freeze in Ohio County on about 18 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 17% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in April. Ohio County averages 13.9 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Ohio County spike on heavy-rain days, about 13.9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Ohio County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.15 inches, and about 70 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
24% of occupied homes in Ohio County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kentucky county median of 12.6%.
About 70 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 10,241 homes and around 23,735 residents, Ohio County is 587 square miles of western Kentucky. Besides Hartford, the county seat, the biggest communities are Beaver Dam, Fordsville and McHenry. The county's median home was built in 1984.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Ohio County ranks 47 of 120 Kentucky counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Ohio County ranks highest compared with other Kentucky counties.
For frozen pipes, Ohio County is a typical Kentucky county, which is still plenty. 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 79 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 71st of 120 counties.
On February 19, 2015 the low fell to about -7°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 9 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 1 and the last spring freeze around Apr 5.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kentucky. The county gets about 54.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 13.9 days of an inch or more (20th of 120). Those downpours cluster in February, March and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.15 inches on October 28, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.61 inches (through September 29, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 70 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
45% of homes in Ohio County predate 1980, close to the Kentucky county median of 44.1%, which ranks 53rd of Kentucky's 120 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 17% of homes are pre-1960 and 25% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
30% 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.
24% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above 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
About 70 nights a year in Ohio County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (29th of 120 counties). July is the wettest month. 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, Ohio County homes break down as 26% utility gas, 49% electric, 20% propane and 5% 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 Ohio County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Breckinridge, Grayson and Hancock get more pipe-freeze nights than Ohio. McLean County has the oldest housing nearby, with 57% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Ohio | Kentucky median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 17% | 18% | 69 of 120 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 44% | 53 of 120 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 25% | 56 of 120 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 19% | 36 of 120 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 13% | 80 of 120 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 13% | 21 of 120 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 18/yr | 20/yr | 71 of 120 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 12/yr | 20 of 120 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 70/yr | 73/yr | 80 of 120 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 70/yr | 59/yr | 29 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 Ohio County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, March and April.
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