Portage County, Ohio · Ravenna
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Pipes freeze in Portage County on about 35 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 26% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 4.6 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Portage County spike on heavy-rain days, about 4.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 86 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
7% of occupied homes in Portage County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 24 times a year in Portage County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 161,956 people live in Portage County, 487 square miles in northeast Ohio, in roughly 71,325 homes. The county seat is Ravenna, and Kent, Streetsboro and Aurora round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1977, half after.
36/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Portage County ranks 79 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Portage County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Portage County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Ohio. It averaged 115 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 35 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 12th.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -18°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 17 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 31 and end around Apr 30.
Portage gets fewer downpours than most Ohio counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 40.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.6 days of an inch or more (68th of 88). Those downpours cluster in March, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.42 inches on September 8, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.19 inches, ending September 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 86 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
55% of homes in Portage County predate 1980, below the Ohio county median of 61.1%, which ranks 61st of Ohio's 88 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 21% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 24% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Beyond water
Portage County averages 24 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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, Portage County homes break down as 64% utility gas, 22% electric, 5% propane and 2% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Portage County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Geauga and Mahoning get more pipe-freeze nights than Portage. Mahoning County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Portage | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 26% | 37% | 76 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 55% | 61% | 61 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 17% | 23 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.1% | 5.9% | 41 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 8.5% | 8.4% | 41 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7% | 16% | 70 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 35/yr | 31/yr | 12 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.6/yr | 5.7/yr | 68 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 86/yr | 82/yr | 20 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 24/yr | 35/yr | 80 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 Portage County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in March, June 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