Defiance County, Ohio · Defiance
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Pipes freeze in Defiance County on about 35 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 41% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.3 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Defiance County gets about 5.3 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 84 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
22% of occupied homes in Defiance County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
With 32 muggy nights a year, mold in Defiance County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Defiance County covers 411 square miles of northwest Ohio, with about 38,343 residents and 16,565 homes. Besides Defiance, the county seat, the biggest communities are Hicksville, Sherwood and Ney. The county's median home was built in 1968.
58/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Defiance County ranks 25 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Defiance County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Defiance is on the colder side of Ohio for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 35 nights a year at or below 20°F (12th of 88) and 114 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 19 days below freezing (ending March 2015), and the low bottomed out near -15°F on January 31, 2019.
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 28 and the last spring freeze around Apr 25.
Rainfall is about average for Ohio. The county gets about 37.1 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.3 days of an inch or more (55th of 88). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.29 inches on May 19, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.03 inches (through June 28, 2015).
About 84 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; Defiance ranks 24th, with 69% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 41% built before 1960 to 13% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
Beyond water
About 32 nights a year in Defiance County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (56th of 88 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Defiance County homes break down as 49% utility gas, 28% electric, 18% propane and 3% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most Ohio 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 Defiance County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Williams gets more pipe-freeze nights than Defiance. Henry County has the oldest housing nearby, with 70% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Defiance | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 37% | 33 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 69% | 61% | 24 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 17% | 60 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.6% | 5.9% | 51 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 7.5% | 8.4% | 54 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 16% | 28 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 35/yr | 31/yr | 12 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.3/yr | 5.7/yr | 55 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 84/yr | 82/yr | 31 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 32/yr | 35/yr | 56 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 Defiance County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July and August.
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