Blount County, Alabama · Oneonta
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With 13% of homes built before 1960 and about 4 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
February brings the most downpours to Blount County, part of 16.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
13% 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.
Blount County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.57 inches, and about 40 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
12% of occupied homes in Blount County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
About 105 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
About 59,518 people live in Blount County, 645 square miles in northern Alabama, in roughly 24,918 homes. The county seat is Oneonta, and Remlap, Blountsville and Smoke Rise round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1990.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Blount County ranks 22 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Blount County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
Blount County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Alabama. It averaged 41 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 4 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 67 Alabama counties that's 12th.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs January. 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 13 and end around Mar 13.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Alabama. About 16.2 days a year bring an inch or more (15th of 67), most often in February, out of 58.3 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2018, 3.57 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.39 inches, ending December 26, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 40 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
Alabama's 67 counties range widely in housing age; Blount ranks 56th, with 36% of its homes built before 1980.
29% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Alabama. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
About 35% 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.
Here 24% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
About 105 nights a year in Blount County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (39th of 67 counties). March 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Blount County it's 12% utility gas, 75% electric, 10% propane and 2% wood. Wood heat is more common here than in most Alabama 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 Blount County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Blount gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Jefferson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 59% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Blount | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 13% | 16% | 50 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 36% | 44% | 56 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29% | 23% | 16 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 22% | 25 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 16% | 60 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 9.9% | 25 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 12 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 15/yr | 15 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 40/yr | 38/yr | 30 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 105/yr | 112/yr | 39 of 67 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Alabama county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Blount County: freezing from January, heavy rain in February, March and December.
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