Jasper County, Georgia · Monticello
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Jasper County averages 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 13% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.3 times a year here, most often in January. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
13% 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.
In Jasper County, 6.54 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
13% of occupied homes in Jasper County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 102 times a year in Jasper County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 15,929 people live in Jasper County, 368 square miles in central Georgia, in roughly 6,572 homes. Monticello is the county seat; Shady Dale is the next largest community. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1992.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Jasper County ranks 119 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jasper County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Jasper is on the colder side of Georgia for pipes. 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 40 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 48th of 159 counties.
The freeze season here runs January, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 15 and the last spring freeze around Mar 15.
Jasper gets fewer downpours than most Georgia counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 50.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 11.3 days of an inch or more (117th of 159). Those downpours cluster in January, April and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 6.54 inches on September 17, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.56 inches (through September 18, 2020).
About 39 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Georgia's 159 counties range widely in housing age; Jasper ranks 109th, with 31% of its homes built before 1980.
36% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Georgia. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
About 33% 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.
19% 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.
Beyond water
Jasper County averages 102 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in December. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Jasper County homes break down as 9% utility gas, 77% electric, 12% propane and 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Jasper County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Newton gets more pipe-freeze nights than Jasper. Morgan County has the oldest housing nearby, with 31% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jasper | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 13% | 15% | 89 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 31% | 38% | 109 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 36% | 27% | 41 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 21% | 89 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 9.2% | 14% | 121 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 7.1% | 47 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 2/yr | 48 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 12/yr | 117 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 39/yr | 29/yr | 42 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 102/yr | 112/yr | 102 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 Jasper County: freezing from January, 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