Newton County, Georgia · Covington
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Newton County averages 3 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 7% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 11.9 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 Newton County gets about 11.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 40 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
3% of occupied homes in Newton County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 100 times a year in Newton County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 118,152 people live in Newton County, 274 square miles in northern Georgia, in roughly 43,619 homes. The county seat is Covington, and Oxford, Porterdale and Newborn round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1999.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Newton County ranks 120 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Newton County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Newton is on the colder side of Georgia for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 3 nights a year at or below 20°F (25th of 159) and 40 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs January. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 17 and the last spring freeze around Mar 15.
Rainfall is about average for Georgia. The county gets about 52.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 11.9 days of an inch or more (88th of 159). Those downpours cluster in January, April and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 5.71 inches on September 17, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.07 inches (through September 28, 2024).
About 40 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; Newton ranks 139th, with 20% of its homes built before 1980.
47% 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.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 33% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 100 times a year here, below the Georgia county median of 112. 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 Newton County it's 31% utility gas, 65% 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 Newton 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 any of its neighbors. Morgan County has the oldest housing nearby, with 31% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Newton | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 6.6% | 15% | 139 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 20% | 38% | 139 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 47% | 27% | 12 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.3% | 21% | 145 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 5.5% | 14% | 148 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.2% | 7.1% | 119 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 2/yr | 25 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 12/yr | 88 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 40/yr | 29/yr | 39 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 100/yr | 112/yr | 115 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 Newton 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