Decatur County, Georgia · Bainbridge
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Decatur County averages 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 20% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.8 times a year here, most often in January. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Decatur County gets about 11.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Decatur County, 5.72 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
3% of occupied homes in Decatur County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
With 142 muggy nights a year, mold in Decatur County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 29,195 people live in Decatur County, 597 square miles in southwest Georgia, in roughly 13,215 homes. The county seat is Bainbridge, and Attapulgus, Brinson and Climax round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Decatur County ranks 80 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Decatur County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Georgia, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 0 nights a year at or below 20°F (117th of 159) and 12 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 12 nights a year at or below 32°F, and that's exactly why they do damage: pipes in attics, exterior walls and slab-edge plumbing are rarely insulated. The coldest night in the record was about 17°F on December 24, 2022.
Rainfall is about average for Georgia. The county gets about 52.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 11.8 days of an inch or more (94th of 159). Those downpours cluster in January, June and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 5.72 inches on September 27, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.55 inches, ending September 27, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
41% of homes in Decatur County predate 1980, close to the Georgia county median of 38.4%, which ranks 70th of Georgia's 159 counties.
20% 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 35% 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 21% 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.
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 38% 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 142 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 Decatur County's occupied homes: 6% utility gas, 89% electric, 3% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Decatur County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Decatur gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Mitchell County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Decatur | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 20% | 15% | 46 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 41% | 38% | 70 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 27% | 91 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 21% | 21% | 83 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 14% | 36 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3% | 7.1% | 127 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 2/yr | 117 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 94 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 12/yr | 29/yr | 151 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 142/yr | 112/yr | 7 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 Decatur County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, June 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