Crenshaw County, Alabama · Luverne
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With 15% 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.
Basements flood here mostly in April. Crenshaw County averages 15.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Crenshaw County spike on heavy-rain days, about 15.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Crenshaw County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 7.22 inches, and about 31 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
16% of occupied homes in Crenshaw County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
About 119 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
With 6,583 homes and around 13,122 residents, Crenshaw County is 609 square miles of southern Alabama. The county seat is Luverne, and Brantley, Dozier and Rutledge round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1982.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Crenshaw County ranks 42 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Crenshaw County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
For frozen pipes, Crenshaw County is a typical Alabama county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 31 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 37th of 67 counties.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 19 and the last spring freeze around Mar 7.
Rainfall is about average for Alabama. The county gets about 58.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 15.1 days of an inch or more (33rd of 67). Those downpours cluster in January, April and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 7.22 inches on September 17, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 11.39 inches (through September 17, 2020).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 31 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
47% of homes in Crenshaw County predate 1980, close to the Alabama county median of 43.5%, which ranks 23rd of Alabama's 67 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 15% predate 1960 and 22% 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 31% 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.
25% 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 21% 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
Crenshaw County averages 119 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in December. 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 Crenshaw County it's 13% utility gas, 70% electric, 15% propane and under 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 Crenshaw County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crenshaw gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Covington County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Crenshaw | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 16% | 39 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 44% | 23 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 23% | 36 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 25% | 22% | 22 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 21% | 16% | 26 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 9.9% | 18 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 37 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 15/yr | 33 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 31/yr | 38/yr | 43 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 119/yr | 112/yr | 27 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 Crenshaw County: freezing from January, 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