Ross County, Ohio · Chillicothe
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Ross County averages 26 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 34% of its homes predate 1960.
February brings the most downpours to Ross County, part of 7.4 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
34% 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.
In Ross County, 2.89 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
17% of occupied homes in Ross County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Ohio county median of 15.9%.
About 42 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
Ross County covers 689 square miles of southern Ohio, with about 76,492 residents and 32,092 homes. Besides Chillicothe, the county seat, the biggest communities are Frankfort, Kingston and Massieville. The county's median home was built in 1974.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Ross County ranks 43 of 88 Ohio counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Ross County ranks highest compared with other Ohio counties.
Ross County is milder than most of Ohio, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 26 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 97 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 75th of 88 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -11°F on February 21, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 28 and the last spring freeze around Apr 19.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Ohio. Of roughly 44.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 7.4 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 10th of 88. February, March and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.89 inches, September 28, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.41 inches (through September 29, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 79 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; Ross ranks 55th, with 57% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 34% of homes are pre-1960 and 17% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
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.
14% 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.
Beyond water
About 42 nights a year in Ross County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (16th of 88 counties). June is the wettest month. 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, Ross County homes break down as 30% utility gas, 47% electric, 14% propane and 3% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Ross County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Fayette, Highland and Hocking get more pipe-freeze nights than Ross. Fayette County has the oldest housing nearby, with 66% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Ross | Ohio median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 37% | 53 of 88 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 57% | 61% | 55 of 88 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 17% | 43 of 88 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 5.9% | 15 of 88 |
| Vacant homes | 7.1% | 8.4% | 55 of 88 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 16% | 44 of 88 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 26/yr | 31/yr | 75 of 88 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.4/yr | 5.7/yr | 10 of 88 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 79/yr | 82/yr | 64 of 88 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 42/yr | 35/yr | 16 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 Ross County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, March 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