Noble County, Ohio · Caldwell
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Pipes freeze in Noble County on about 29 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 31% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Noble County averages 5.9 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
31% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Noble County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.55 inches, and about 90 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
27% of occupied homes in Noble County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 30 times a year in Noble County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Noble County covers 398 square miles of eastern Ohio, with about 14,282 residents and 5,798 homes. The county seat is Caldwell, and Belle Valley, Sarahsville and Summerfield round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1978, half after.
36/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Noble County ranks 78 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Noble County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Noble County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 109 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 29 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 56th.
On February 24, 2015 the low fell to about -8°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 13 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 27 and end around Apr 21.
Rainfall is about average for Ohio. Of roughly 43.8 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.9 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 38th of 88. June, July and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.55 inches, November 6, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.17 inches, ending September 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 90 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 53% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Noble among the newer housing stocks of Ohio's 88 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 31% predate 1960 and 20% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 27% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
16% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Ohio county median of 5.9%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
The Census counted 20% of homes as vacant, above the Ohio county median of 8.4%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
About 30 nights a year in Noble County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (65th of 88 counties). June is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Noble County homes break down as 44% utility gas, 19% electric, 16% propane and 11% 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 Noble County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Belmont and Guernsey get more pipe-freeze nights than Noble. Belmont County has the oldest housing nearby, with 71% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Noble | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 31% | 37% | 63 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 53% | 61% | 65 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 17% | 24 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 5.9% | 11 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 8.4% | 4 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 16% | 10 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 29/yr | 31/yr | 56 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.9/yr | 5.7/yr | 38 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 82/yr | 5 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 30/yr | 35/yr | 65 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 Noble County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July and September.
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