Dallas County, Alabama · Selma
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Pipes freeze in Dallas County on about 2 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 23% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in January. Dallas County averages 13.5 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Dallas County spike on heavy-rain days, about 13.5 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Dallas County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.87 inches, and about 30 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
11% of occupied homes in Dallas County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
With 124 muggy nights a year, mold in Dallas County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 36,858 people live in Dallas County, 979 square miles in central Alabama, in roughly 18,936 homes. The county seat is Selma, and Valley Grande, Selmont-West Selmont and Orrville round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1977.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Dallas County ranks 32 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dallas County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
For frozen pipes, Dallas County is a typical Alabama county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 2 nights a year at or below 20°F (37th of 67) and 31 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 17 and the last spring freeze around Mar 5.
Dallas gets fewer downpours than most Alabama counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 53.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 13.5 days of an inch or more (62nd of 67). Those downpours cluster in January, March and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.87 inches on January 9, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.66 inches (through May 31, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 30 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
Alabama's 67 counties range widely in housing age; Dallas ranks 3rd, with 56% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 23% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 28% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 18% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Renters occupy 36% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 124 times a year here, above the Alabama county median of 112. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Dallas County it's 32% utility gas, 55% electric, 9% propane and 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Dallas County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Chilton gets more pipe-freeze nights than Dallas. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dallas | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 16% | 5 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 56% | 44% | 3 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 23% | 60 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 22% | 43 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 16% | 34 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 9.9% | 32 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 37 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 15/yr | 62 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 30/yr | 38/yr | 44 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 124/yr | 112/yr | 19 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 Dallas County: freezing from January, 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