Crisp County, Georgia · Cordele
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With 20% of homes built before 1960 and about 1 hard-freeze night a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
December brings the most downpours to Crisp County, part of 11.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Crisp County spike on heavy-rain days, about 11.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Crisp County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.04 inches.
3% of occupied homes in Crisp County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
About 130 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 19,790 people live in Crisp County, 273 square miles in southern Georgia, in roughly 9,909 homes. Cordele is the county seat; Arabi and Wenona are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1984.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Crisp County ranks 69 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Crisp County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
For frozen pipes, Crisp County is a typical Georgia county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 1 night a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 18 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 85th of 159 counties.
With only about 18 freezing nights a year, many homes here aren't built for cold, so a single arctic outbreak can burst pipes across the county. The record low in this data was about 14°F, on December 24, 2022.
Rainfall is about average for Georgia. The county gets about 51.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 11.6 days of an inch or more (105th of 159). Those downpours cluster in January, April and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.04 inches on December 6, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.98 inches (through March 6, 2020).
Housing
45% of homes in Crisp County predate 1980, above the Georgia county median of 38.4%, which ranks 43rd of Georgia's 159 counties.
In Crisp County 20% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 34% 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.
20% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, close to the Georgia county median of 20.9%. 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.
Renters occupy 45% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 130 times a year here, above the Georgia 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 Crisp County's occupied homes: 6% utility gas, 89% electric, 3% 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 Crisp County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crisp gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Turner County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Crisp | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 20% | 15% | 42 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 38% | 43 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 27% | 112 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 20% | 21% | 87 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 14% | 31 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.4% | 7.1% | 115 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 2/yr | 85 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 105 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 18/yr | 29/yr | 110 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 130/yr | 112/yr | 44 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 Crisp County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, 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