Morgan County, Alabama · Decatur
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Pipes freeze in Morgan County on about 5 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 14% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 14.9 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Morgan County spike on heavy-rain days, about 14.9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 45 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
6% of occupied homes in Morgan County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
With 100 muggy nights a year, mold in Morgan County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Morgan County covers 580 square miles of northern Alabama, with about 124,471 residents and 53,905 homes. Decatur is the county seat; Hartselle, Priceville and Trinity are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1983, half after.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Morgan County ranks 37 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Morgan County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
Morgan County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Alabama. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 5 nights a year at or below 20°F (11th of 67) and 47 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 3 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near 6°F on December 24, 2022.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 11 and end around Mar 16.
Rainfall is about average for Alabama. Of roughly 58.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 14.9 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 36th of 67. February, April and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.2 inches, December 26, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.48 inches, ending December 26, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 45 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
Roughly 46% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Morgan near the middle of Alabama's 67 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 14% predate 1960 and 23% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
31% 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.
11% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below 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
About 100 nights a year in Morgan County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (48th of 67 counties). February is the wettest month. 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 Morgan County it's 19% utility gas, 75% electric, 5% propane and under 1% 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 Morgan County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Lawrence, Limestone and Madison get more pipe-freeze nights than Morgan. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Morgan | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 16% | 47 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 44% | 26 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 23% | 29 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 22% | 56 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 9% | 16% | 63 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.9% | 9.9% | 51 of 67 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 3/yr | 11 of 67 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 15/yr | 36 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 45/yr | 38/yr | 21 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 100/yr | 112/yr | 48 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 Morgan 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