Carroll County, Ohio · Carrollton
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Carroll County averages 33 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 35% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 4.8 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Carroll County gets about 4.8 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 87 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
22% of occupied homes in Carroll County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
About 26 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
About 26,659 people live in Carroll County, 395 square miles in eastern Ohio, in roughly 13,390 homes. The county seat is Carrollton, and Malvern, Lake Mohawk and Pekin round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1974.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Carroll County ranks 62 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Carroll County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Carroll is on the colder side of Ohio for pipes. It averaged 113 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 33 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 88 Ohio counties that's 27th.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -10°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 16 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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 Oct 31 and the last spring freeze around Apr 26.
Carroll gets fewer downpours than most Ohio counties, but they still fill basements. About 4.8 days a year bring an inch or more (63rd of 88), most often in April, out of 42.8 inches of total precipitation. On September 10, 2018, 2.73 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.29 inches (through September 10, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 87 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
Roughly 59% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Carroll near the middle of Ohio's 88 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 35% of homes are pre-1960 and 15% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
About 26% 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.
Here 13% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
The Census counted 16% of homes as vacant, above the Ohio county median of 8.4%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Carroll County averages 26 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Carroll County it's 35% utility gas, 27% electric, 14% propane and 8% wood. Wood heat is 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 Carroll County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Columbiana gets more pipe-freeze nights than Carroll. Jefferson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 80% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Carroll | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 35% | 37% | 49 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 59% | 61% | 47 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 17% | 52 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 5.9% | 18 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 8.4% | 8 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 16% | 27 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 33/yr | 31/yr | 27 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.8/yr | 5.7/yr | 63 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 87/yr | 82/yr | 15 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 26/yr | 35/yr | 75 of 88 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Ohio county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Carroll County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, June 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