Choctaw County, Alabama · Butler
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With 14% of homes built before 1960 and about 2 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
April brings the most downpours to Choctaw County, part of 16.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Choctaw County spike on heavy-rain days, about 16.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Choctaw County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 5.28 inches, and about 30 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
22% of occupied homes in Choctaw County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 129 times a year in Choctaw County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Choctaw County covers 913 square miles of southwest Alabama, with about 12,380 residents and 7,200 homes. Besides Butler, the county seat, the biggest communities are Gilbertown, Pennington and Silas. The county's median home was built in 1984.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Choctaw County ranks 27 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Choctaw County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
For frozen pipes, Choctaw County is a typical Alabama county, which is still plenty. It averaged 30 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 2 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 37th.
The freeze season here runs midwinter, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 17 and the last spring freeze around Mar 1.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Alabama. About 16.7 days a year bring an inch or more (11th of 67), most often in April, out of 58.1 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2018, 5.28 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.65 inches (through December 30, 2018).
About 30 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
44% of homes in Choctaw County predate 1980, close to the Alabama county median of 43.5%, which ranks 34th of Alabama's 67 counties.
The mix runs from 14% built before 1960 to 21% 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.
39% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above 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.
With 27% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 129 times a year here, above the Alabama county median of 112. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Choctaw County it's 3% utility gas, 74% electric, 19% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Choctaw County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Choctaw gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Sumter County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Choctaw | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 16% | 44 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 44% | 44% | 34 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 23% | 42 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 39% | 22% | 2 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 27% | 16% | 9 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 9.9% | 6 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 37 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 15/yr | 11 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 30/yr | 38/yr | 44 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 129/yr | 112/yr | 14 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 Choctaw County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, March and April.
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