Lawrence County, Alabama · Moulton
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Pipes freeze in Lawrence County on about 6 nights a year, mostly December to January. Older homes, 11% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 16.3 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 Lawrence County gets about 16.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 55 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
12% of occupied homes in Lawrence County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
With 89 muggy nights a year, mold in Lawrence County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 15,403 homes and around 33,276 residents, Lawrence County is 691 square miles of northwest Alabama. The county seat is Moulton, and Town Creek, Courtland and Hillsboro round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1990.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Lawrence County ranks 29 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lawrence County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
Lawrence is on the colder side of Alabama for pipes. It averaged 57 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 6 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 4th.
On January 17, 2024 the low fell to about 4°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 3 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December to 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 8 and the last spring freeze around Mar 25.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Alabama. Of roughly 59.7 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 16.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 14th of 67. February, March and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.22 inches, December 26, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.27 inches (through December 26, 2015).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 55 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
36% of homes in Lawrence County predate 1980, below the Alabama county median of 43.5%, which ranks 55th of Alabama's 67 counties.
28% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Alabama. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 36% 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.
Beyond water
Lawrence County averages 89 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in February. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Lawrence County homes break down as 16% utility gas, 71% electric, 11% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Lawrence County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale get more pipe-freeze nights than Lawrence. Colbert County has the oldest housing nearby, with 51% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lawrence | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 11% | 16% | 58 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 36% | 44% | 55 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 28% | 23% | 17 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 25% | 22% | 20 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 16% | 58 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 9.9% | 26 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 6/yr | 3/yr | 4 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 15/yr | 14 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 55/yr | 38/yr | 2 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 89/yr | 112/yr | 59 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 Lawrence County: freezing from December to January, heavy rain in February, March 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