Butler County, Alabama · Greenville
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Pipes freeze in Butler County on about 1 night a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 18% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in January. Butler County averages 15.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
18% 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.
Butler County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.27 inches, and about 30 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
16% of occupied homes in Butler County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
About 122 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 18,630 people live in Butler County, 777 square miles in southern Alabama, in roughly 9,885 homes. Besides Greenville, the county seat, the biggest communities are Georgiana and McKenzie. Half the homes here were built before 1979, half after.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Butler County ranks 30 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Butler County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Alabama, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 1 night a year at or below 20°F (55th of 67) and 30 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Most freezing nights fall from midwinter, 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 Nov 16 and end around Mar 7.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Alabama. About 15.7 days a year bring an inch or more (22nd of 67), most often in January, out of 58.4 inches of total precipitation. On September 17, 2020, 4.27 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.71 inches, ending January 3, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 30 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 52% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Butler among the oldest housing stocks of Alabama's 67 counties.
The mix runs from 18% built before 1960 to 14% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
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 20% 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.
23% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Renters occupy 34% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Butler County averages 122 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in January. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Butler County's occupied homes: 13% utility gas, 71% electric, 15% propane and 1% wood. Propane 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 Butler County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crenshaw, Lowndes and Wilcox get more pipe-freeze nights than Butler. Covington County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Butler | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 16% | 20 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 52% | 44% | 10 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 23% | 67 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 20% | 22% | 39 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 23% | 16% | 21 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 9.9% | 17 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 3/yr | 55 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 15/yr | 22 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 30/yr | 38/yr | 44 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 122/yr | 112/yr | 22 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 Butler County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, April 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