Clarke County, Georgia · Athens
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Pipes freeze in Clarke County on about 2 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 15.4 times a year here, most often in January. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Clarke County spike on heavy-rain days, about 15.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 38 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
2% of occupied homes in Clarke County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 100 times a year in Clarke County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Clarke County covers 119 square miles of northern Georgia, with about 129,609 residents and 57,918 homes. Athens is the county seat; Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) and Winterville are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1987.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Clarke County ranks 39 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clarke County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Clarke County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Georgia. 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 38 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 48th of 159 counties.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs January. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 19 and end around Mar 16.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Georgia. Of roughly 54.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 15.4 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 12th of 159. January, August and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.12 inches, September 27, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.95 inches, ending September 28, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 38 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
Georgia's 159 counties range widely in housing age; Clarke ranks 75th, with 40% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 14% predate 1960 and 30% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 30% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Renters occupy 59% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
About 100 nights a year in Clarke County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (115th of 159 counties). August 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 Clarke County it's 29% utility gas, 68% electric, 2% propane and under 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 Clarke County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Madison gets more pipe-freeze nights than Clarke. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clarke | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 15% | 87 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 40% | 38% | 75 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 30% | 27% | 60 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.5% | 21% | 141 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 6% | 14% | 145 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.6% | 7.1% | 151 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 2/yr | 48 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 12/yr | 12 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 38/yr | 29/yr | 47 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 100/yr | 112/yr | 115 of 159 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Georgia county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Clarke County: freezing from January, heavy rain in January, August 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