Cherokee County, Alabama · Centre
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With 15% 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.
Basements flood here mostly in February. Cherokee County averages 14.2 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
15% 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.
Cherokee County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.42 inches, and about 46 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
20% of occupied homes in Cherokee County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
About 94 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
Cherokee County covers 554 square miles of northeast Alabama, with about 25,443 residents and 14,702 homes. Centre is the county seat; Cedar Bluff, Leesburg and Sand Rock are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
43/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Cherokee County ranks 47 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Cherokee County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
Cherokee County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Alabama. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 4 nights a year at or below 20°F (12th of 67) and 46 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The freeze season here runs January, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 12 and end around Mar 16.
Cherokee gets fewer downpours than most Alabama counties, but they still fill basements. About 14.2 days a year bring an inch or more (53rd of 67), most often in February, out of 57.3 inches of total precipitation. On June 20, 2021, 4.42 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.86 inches, ending June 22, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 46 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
41% of homes in Cherokee County predate 1980, close to the Alabama county median of 43.5%, which ranks 50th of Alabama's 67 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 15% predate 1960 and 26% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 33% 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.
24% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, close to the Alabama county median of 21.7%. 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.
The Census counted 31% of homes as vacant, above the Alabama county median of 15.8%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Cherokee County averages 94 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in February. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Cherokee County it's 12% utility gas, 68% electric, 18% propane and 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Cherokee County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
DeKalb gets more pipe-freeze nights than Cherokee. Etowah County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Cherokee | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 16% | 39 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 41% | 44% | 50 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 23% | 21 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 22% | 28 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 31% | 16% | 2 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 20% | 9.9% | 9 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 12 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 15/yr | 53 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 46/yr | 38/yr | 19 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 94/yr | 112/yr | 54 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 Cherokee County: freezing from January, heavy rain in January, February 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