Lamar County, Alabama · Vernon
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Pipes freeze in Lamar County on about 4 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 22% of the stock here, are most at risk.
February brings the most downpours to Lamar County, part of 15.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Lamar County spike on heavy-rain days, about 15.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Lamar County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.46 inches, and about 46 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
12% of occupied homes in Lamar County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
About 109 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 13,693 people live in Lamar County, 605 square miles in northwest Alabama, in roughly 7,123 homes. The county seat is Vernon, and Sulligent, Millport and Kennedy round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1978.
71/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Lamar County ranks 3 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lamar County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
Lamar is on the colder side of Alabama for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 4 nights a year at or below 20°F (12th of 67) and 47 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 13 and the last spring freeze around Mar 20.
Rainfall is about average for Alabama. The county gets about 60.1 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 15.3 days of an inch or more (26th of 67). Those downpours cluster in February, April and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.46 inches on August 31, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6 inches (through February 13, 2020).
About 46 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
Roughly 54% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Lamar among the oldest housing stocks of Alabama's 67 counties.
22% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
About 32% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 25% 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.
29% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
About 109 nights a year in Lamar County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (35th of 67 counties). February is the wettest month. 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 Lamar County it's 24% utility gas, 63% electric, 10% propane and 2% wood. Wood 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 Lamar County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Marion gets more pipe-freeze nights than Lamar. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lamar | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 22% | 16% | 8 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 54% | 44% | 4 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 23% | 66 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 25% | 22% | 22 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 29% | 16% | 3 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 9.9% | 28 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 12 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 15/yr | 26 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 46/yr | 38/yr | 19 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 109/yr | 112/yr | 35 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 Lamar County: freezing from January, heavy rain in February, 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