Marengo County, Alabama · Linden
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Pipes freeze in Marengo County on about 2 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 17% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in January. Marengo County averages 12.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Marengo County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Marengo County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.64 inches, and about 34 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
12% of occupied homes in Marengo County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
About 122 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 18,851 people live in Marengo County, 977 square miles in western Alabama, in roughly 9,867 homes. The county seat is Linden, and Demopolis, Thomaston and Sweet Water round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1982.
40/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Marengo County ranks 50 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Marengo County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
For frozen pipes, Marengo 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 34 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 6.
Marengo gets fewer downpours than most Alabama counties, but they still fill basements. About 12.7 days a year bring an inch or more (66th of 67), most often in January, out of 51.6 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2018, 3.64 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.99 inches (through June 24, 2017).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 34 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 Marengo County predate 1980, above the Alabama county median of 43.5%, which ranks 21st of Alabama's 67 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 17% of homes are pre-1960 and 18% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
35% 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.
30% 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.
With 20% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Marengo County averages 122 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in April. 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, Marengo County homes break down as 15% utility gas, 71% electric, 11% propane and 2% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Marengo County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Greene and Hale get more pipe-freeze nights than Marengo. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Dallas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 56% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Marengo | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 17% | 16% | 23 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 44% | 21 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 23% | 54 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 30% | 22% | 11 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 16% | 27 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 9.9% | 27 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 37 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 15/yr | 66 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 34/yr | 38/yr | 40 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 122/yr | 112/yr | 22 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 Marengo County: freezing from January, heavy rain in January, February and March.
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