Mercer County, Ohio · Celina
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With 36% of homes built before 1960 and about 35 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 5.9 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Mercer County gets about 5.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Mercer County, 3.54 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
22% of occupied homes in Mercer County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
About 33 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 18,103 homes and around 42,484 residents, Mercer County is 462 square miles of western Ohio. Celina is the county seat; Coldwater, St. Henry and Fort Recovery are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1974, half after.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Mercer County ranks 23 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Mercer County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Mercer County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Ohio. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 35 nights a year at or below 20°F (12th of 88) and 112 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 -14°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 Oct 25 and end around Apr 24.
Rainfall is about average for Ohio. Of roughly 39.9 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.9 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 38th of 88. March, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.54 inches, September 8, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.8 inches, ending June 28, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 81 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
59% of homes in Mercer County predate 1980, close to the Ohio county median of 61.1%, which ranks 51st of Ohio's 88 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 36% of homes are pre-1960 and 19% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
22% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 33 times a year here, close to 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, Mercer County homes break down as 46% utility gas, 28% electric, 19% propane and 3% wood. Propane heat is 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 Mercer County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Mercer gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Darke County has the oldest housing nearby, with 74% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Mercer | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 36% | 37% | 45 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 59% | 61% | 51 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 17% | 28 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.2% | 5.9% | 39 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 9.4% | 8.4% | 33 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 16% | 25 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 35/yr | 31/yr | 12 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.9/yr | 5.7/yr | 38 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 81/yr | 82/yr | 52 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 Mercer County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in March, June 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