Champaign County, Ohio · Urbana
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Pipes freeze in Champaign County on about 35 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 43% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in March. Champaign County averages 6.8 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
43% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Champaign County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.8 inches, and about 82 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
28% of occupied homes in Champaign County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
With 33 muggy nights a year, mold in Champaign County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Champaign County covers 429 square miles of western Ohio, with about 38,804 residents and 16,944 homes. The county seat is Urbana, and St. Paris, Mechanicsburg and North Lewisburg round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1969, half after.
71/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Champaign County ranks 4 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Champaign County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Champaign County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Ohio. From 2015–2024 it averaged 35 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 110 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 12th of 88 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 19 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2015. The coldest night reached about -11°F on January 3, 2018. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 27 and end around Apr 23.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Ohio. Of roughly 43.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6.8 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 20th of 88. March, July and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.8 inches, May 19, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.09 inches, ending September 9, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 82 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
Ohio's 88 counties range widely in housing age; Champaign ranks 36th, with 63% of its homes built before 1980.
43% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 24% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Beyond water
Champaign County averages 33 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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, Champaign County homes break down as 33% utility gas, 29% electric, 23% 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 Champaign County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Logan gets more pipe-freeze nights than Champaign. Clark County has the oldest housing nearby, with 77% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Champaign | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 43% | 37% | 26 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 63% | 61% | 36 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 17% | 63 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.8% | 5.9% | 49 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 7.7% | 8.4% | 53 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 28% | 16% | 9 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 35/yr | 31/yr | 12 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.8/yr | 5.7/yr | 20 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 82/yr | 82/yr | 44 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 33/yr | 35/yr | 51 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 Champaign County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in March, 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