Randolph County, Alabama · Wedowee
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Pipes freeze in Randolph County on about 4 nights a year, mostly December to January. Older homes, 16% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in February. Randolph County averages 14.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Randolph County spike on heavy-rain days, about 14.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 51 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
26% of occupied homes in Randolph County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Alabama county median of 9.9%.
With 86 muggy nights a year, mold in Randolph County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 12,505 homes and around 22,510 residents, Randolph County is 581 square miles of eastern Alabama. Besides Wedowee, the county seat, the biggest communities are Roanoke, Wadley and Woodland. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Randolph County ranks 41 of 67 Alabama counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Randolph County ranks highest compared with other Alabama counties.
Randolph County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Alabama. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 4 nights a year at or below 20°F (12th of 67) and 52 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The freeze season here runs December to January, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 8 and end around Mar 23.
Rainfall is about average for Alabama. Of roughly 58.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 14.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 44th of 67. January, February and April see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.72 inches, September 27, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.96 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 51 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 40% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Randolph among the newer housing stocks of Alabama's 67 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 16% of homes are pre-1960 and 26% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
34% 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.
Here 24% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
26% 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 86 nights a year in Randolph County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (62nd of 67 counties). January 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Randolph County homes break down as 11% utility gas, 62% electric, 23% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Alabama norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Randolph County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Randolph gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Chambers County has the oldest housing nearby, with 51% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Randolph | Alabama median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 16% | 34 of 67 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 40% | 44% | 51 of 67 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 23% | 24 of 67 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 22% | 27 of 67 |
| Vacant homes | 26% | 16% | 11 of 67 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 9.9% | 3 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 | 44 of 67 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 51/yr | 38/yr | 8 of 67 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 86/yr | 112/yr | 62 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 Randolph County: freezing from December to 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