Hardin County, Ohio · Kenton
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With 41% of homes built before 1960 and about 33 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 4.2 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 Hardin County gets about 4.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Hardin County, 2.8 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
28% of occupied homes in Hardin County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
About 40 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
With 12,917 homes and around 30,475 residents, Hardin County is 470 square miles of western Ohio. Kenton is the county seat; Ada, Forest and Dunkirk are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1969, half after.
54/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hardin County ranks 34 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hardin County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Hardin County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Ohio. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 33 nights a year at or below 20°F (27th of 88) and 102 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 -9°F on January 31, 2019.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 2 and end around Apr 17.
Hardin gets fewer downpours than most Ohio counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 37.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.2 days of an inch or more (72nd of 88). Those downpours cluster in June, July and November, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.8 inches on September 8, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.23 inches, ending September 23, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 74 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
67% of homes in Hardin County predate 1980, above the Ohio county median of 61.1%, which ranks 28th of Ohio's 88 counties.
Before 1960 is when 41% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 11% 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.
Beyond water
Hardin County averages 40 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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, Hardin County homes break down as 46% utility gas, 23% electric, 24% propane and 4% 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 Hardin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Auglaize, Logan and Union get more pipe-freeze nights than Hardin. Marion County has the oldest housing nearby, with 74% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hardin | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 37% | 32 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 67% | 61% | 28 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 17% | 55 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 5.9% | 23 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 9.2% | 8.4% | 35 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 28% | 16% | 7 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 33/yr | 31/yr | 27 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.2/yr | 5.7/yr | 72 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 74/yr | 82/yr | 82 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 40/yr | 35/yr | 24 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 Hardin County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July and November.
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