Perry County, Alabama · Marion
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With 22% of homes built before 1960 and about 2 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
February brings the most downpours to Perry County, part of 12.9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
22% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Perry County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.58 inches, and about 36 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
13% of occupied homes in Perry County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
About 115 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 8,031 people live in Perry County, 720 square miles in western Alabama, in roughly 3,962 homes. The county seat is Marion, and Uniontown is the other large town. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Perry County ranks 40 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Perry County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Perry County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 36 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 37th of 67 counties.
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 16 and end around Mar 7.
Perry gets fewer downpours than most Alabama counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 52.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 12.9 days of an inch or more (65th of 67). Those downpours cluster in January, February and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.58 inches on April 15, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.91 inches, ending June 24, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 36 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
42% of homes in Perry County predate 1980, close to the Alabama county median of 43.5%, which ranks 40th 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.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 37% 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 32% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 115 times a year here, close to the Alabama county median of 112. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Perry County's occupied homes: 20% utility gas, 67% electric, 12% 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 Perry County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bibb, Chilton and Hale get more pipe-freeze nights than Perry. Dallas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 56% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Perry | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 22% | 16% | 7 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 42% | 44% | 40 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 23% | 46 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 32% | 22% | 7 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 16% | 47 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 9.9% | 24 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 | 65 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 36/yr | 38/yr | 35 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 115/yr | 112/yr | 32 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 Perry County: freezing from January, heavy rain in January, February 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