Monroe County, Georgia · Forsyth
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Monroe County averages 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 12% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.1 times a year here, most often in December. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Monroe County gets about 11.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Monroe County, 6.46 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
16% of occupied homes in Monroe County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
About 102 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
Monroe County covers 396 square miles of central Georgia, with about 29,664 residents and 11,577 homes. Forsyth is the county seat; Culloden, Bolingbroke and Juliette are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1995.
39/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Monroe County ranks 133 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Monroe County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Monroe County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Georgia. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 2 nights a year at or below 20°F (48th of 159) and 34 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 16 and end around Mar 14.
Monroe gets fewer downpours than most Georgia counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 49.9 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 11.1 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 125th of 159. January, April and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 6.46 inches, September 17, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.07 inches, ending September 18, 2020, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 34 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 24% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Monroe among the newer housing stocks of Georgia's 159 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 40% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
36% 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 16% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 102 times a year here, close to 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Monroe County it's 17% utility gas, 66% electric, 16% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is above the Georgia 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 Monroe County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Monroe gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Bibb County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Monroe | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 15% | 101 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 24% | 38% | 130 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 40% | 27% | 30 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 21% | 102 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 8.8% | 14% | 126 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 7.1% | 31 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 | 125 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 34/yr | 29/yr | 59 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 Monroe 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