Guernsey County, Ohio · Cambridge
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Guernsey County averages 31 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 38% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.1 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Guernsey County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 90 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
23% of occupied homes in Guernsey County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
With 31 muggy nights a year, mold in Guernsey County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 38,223 people live in Guernsey County, 522 square miles in eastern Ohio, in roughly 19,037 homes. Besides Cambridge, the county seat, the biggest communities are Byesville, Buffalo and Pleasant City. Half the homes here were built before 1972, half after.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Guernsey County ranks 58 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Guernsey County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Guernsey County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 112 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 31 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 42nd.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -10°F on February 24, 2015. 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 21.
Guernsey gets fewer downpours than most Ohio counties, but they still fill basements. About 5.1 days a year bring an inch or more (59th of 88), most often in April, out of 42.8 inches of total precipitation. On November 6, 2017, 2.45 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.14 inches, ending September 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 90 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
63% of homes in Guernsey County predate 1980, close to the Ohio county median of 61.1%, which ranks 40th of Ohio's 88 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 38% of homes are pre-1960 and 18% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 12% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
With 14% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 31 times a year here, below the Ohio county median of 35. 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, Guernsey County homes break down as 44% utility gas, 28% electric, 17% propane and 6% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Guernsey County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Coshocton and Tuscarawas get more pipe-freeze nights than Guernsey. Belmont County has the oldest housing nearby, with 71% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Guernsey | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 38% | 37% | 40 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 63% | 61% | 40 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 17% | 38 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 5.9% | 21 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 8.4% | 13 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 23% | 16% | 22 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 31/yr | 31/yr | 42 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.1/yr | 5.7/yr | 59 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 82/yr | 5 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 31/yr | 35/yr | 59 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 Guernsey County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, June 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