Morgan County, Georgia · Madison
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Pipes freeze in Morgan County on about 2 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 15% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.4 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 Morgan County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 39 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
10% of occupied homes in Morgan County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
With 102 muggy nights a year, mold in Morgan County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Morgan County covers 347 square miles of northern Georgia, with about 21,078 residents and 8,927 homes. Madison is the county seat; Rutledge, Buckhead and Bostwick are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1994.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Morgan County ranks 64 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Morgan County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Morgan 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 39 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Most freezing nights fall from January, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 18 and end around Mar 17.
Rainfall is about average for Georgia. Of roughly 52.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 12.4 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 67th of 159. January, April and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 5.26 inches, September 17, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.56 inches, ending September 27, 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 39 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
Roughly 31% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Morgan among the newer housing stocks of Georgia's 159 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 36% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
33% 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.
14% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below 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
About 102 nights a year in Morgan County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (102nd 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 Morgan County it's 12% utility gas, 76% electric, 8% propane and 3% wood. Wood 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 Morgan County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Newton and Walton get more pipe-freeze nights than Morgan. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Morgan | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 15% | 73 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 31% | 38% | 108 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 36% | 27% | 43 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 21% | 108 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 9% | 14% | 124 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 10% | 7.1% | 57 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 2/yr | 48 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 67 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 Morgan 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