Cleburne County, Alabama · Heflin
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With 18% 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.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 14 times a year here, most often in December. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Cleburne County gets about 14 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Cleburne County, 3.74 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
28% of occupied homes in Cleburne County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
About 84 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 15,426 people live in Cleburne County, 560 square miles in northeast Alabama, in roughly 6,874 homes. Besides Heflin, the county seat, the biggest communities are Hollis Crossroads, Ranburne and Fruithurst. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1989.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Cleburne County ranks 38 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Cleburne County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
Cleburne County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Alabama. It averaged 49 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.
Most freezing nights fall from January, 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 9 and end around Mar 19.
Cleburne gets fewer downpours than most Alabama counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 57.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 14 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 57th of 67. January, February and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.74 inches, June 20, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.79 inches, ending December 26, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 48 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
38% of homes in Cleburne County predate 1980, below the Alabama county median of 43.5%, which ranks 54th of Alabama's 67 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 18% of homes are pre-1960 and 26% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
36% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
26% 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.
Beyond water
About 84 nights a year in Cleburne County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (65th of 67 counties). January is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Cleburne County homes break down as 8% utility gas, 62% electric, 23% propane and 4% 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 Cleburne County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cleburne gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Calhoun County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Cleburne | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 16% | 21 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 38% | 44% | 54 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 23% | 23 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 26% | 22% | 17 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 16% | 50 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 28% | 9.9% | 1 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 | 57 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 48/yr | 38/yr | 10 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 84/yr | 112/yr | 65 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 Cleburne 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