Darke County, Ohio · Greenville
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Pipes freeze in Darke County on about 33 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 47% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in March. Darke County averages 6.9 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Darke County gets about 6.9 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 79 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
24% of occupied homes in Darke County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
With 36 muggy nights a year, mold in Darke County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 22,651 homes and around 51,594 residents, Darke County is 598 square miles of western Ohio. The county seat is Greenville, and Arcanum, Versailles and Bradford round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1963.
75/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Darke County ranks 2 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Darke County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Darke is on the colder side of Ohio for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 33 nights a year at or below 20°F (27th of 88) and 105 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 2, 2018 the low fell to about -12°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 19 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 24 and the last spring freeze around Apr 23.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Ohio. Of roughly 41.8 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6.9 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 17th of 88. March, April and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.43 inches, September 8, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.06 inches (through September 9, 2018).
About 79 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
Ohio's 88 counties range widely in housing age; Darke ranks 8th, with 74% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 47% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 36 times a year here, close to the Ohio county median of 35. 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 Darke County it's 38% utility gas, 33% electric, 20% propane and 4% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Ohio norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Darke County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Mercer and Shelby get more pipe-freeze nights than Darke. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Darke | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 47% | 37% | 10 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 74% | 61% | 8 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9% | 17% | 82 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4% | 5.9% | 59 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 6% | 8.4% | 68 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 16% | 17 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 33/yr | 31/yr | 27 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.9/yr | 5.7/yr | 17 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 79/yr | 82/yr | 64 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 36/yr | 35/yr | 40 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 Darke County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in March, April and July.
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