Ottawa County, Ohio · Port Clinton
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Ottawa County averages 28 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to March, and 34% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 2.9 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 Ottawa County gets about 2.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Ottawa County, 2.88 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
19% of occupied homes in Ottawa County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
With 48 muggy nights a year, mold in Ottawa County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 28,911 homes and around 39,994 residents, Ottawa County is 255 square miles of northern Ohio. Besides Port Clinton, the county seat, the biggest communities are Oak Harbor, Genoa and Elmore. Half the homes here were built before 1976, half after.
34/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Ottawa County ranks 82 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Ottawa County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Ohio, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 28 nights a year at or below 20°F (63rd of 88) and 97 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 18 days below freezing (ending March 2015), and the low bottomed out near -9°F on February 20, 2015.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 7 and end around Apr 18.
Ottawa gets fewer downpours than most Ohio counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 33.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 2.9 days of an inch or more (88th of 88). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.88 inches on August 24, 2023. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.23 inches, ending September 23, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 70 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
Ohio's 88 counties range widely in housing age; Ottawa ranks 58th, with 55% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 34% built before 1960 to 19% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 26% 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.
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.
With 36% 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 48 times a year here, above the Ohio county median of 35. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Ottawa County's occupied homes: 56% utility gas, 20% electric, 17% propane and 1% 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 Ottawa County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Lucas, Sandusky and Wood get more pipe-freeze nights than Ottawa. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Lucas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 73% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Ottawa | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 37% | 50 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 55% | 61% | 58 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 17% | 31 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 5.9% | 22 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 36% | 8.4% | 1 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 16% | 38 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 28/yr | 31/yr | 63 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.9/yr | 5.7/yr | 88 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 70/yr | 82/yr | 86 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 48/yr | 35/yr | 4 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 Ottawa County: freezing from December 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