Pickens County, Georgia · Jasper
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Pipes freeze in Pickens County on about 7 nights a year, mostly December to January. Older homes, 8% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in February. Pickens County averages 14.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Pickens County gets about 14.7 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 57 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
32% of occupied homes in Pickens 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 60 times a year in Pickens County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 15,561 homes and around 34,951 residents, Pickens County is 232 square miles of northwest Georgia. The county seat is Jasper, and Talking Rock is the other large town. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1996.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Pickens County ranks 40 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pickens County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Pickens is on the colder side of Georgia for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 7 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 59 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 6th of 159 counties.
The freeze season here runs December to 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 8 and the last spring freeze around Apr 1.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Georgia. The county gets about 59.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 14.7 days of an inch or more (16th of 159). Those downpours cluster in January, February and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.45 inches on September 27, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.16 inches (through September 28, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 57 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
Georgia's 159 counties range widely in housing age; Pickens ranks 137th, with 21% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 41% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
About 38% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 14% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 60 times a year here, below 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Pickens County homes break down as 21% utility gas, 45% electric, 30% propane and 2% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Pickens County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Gilmer gets more pipe-freeze nights than Pickens. Gordon County has the oldest housing nearby, with 41% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pickens | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 7.9% | 15% | 126 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 21% | 38% | 137 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 41% | 27% | 27 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 21% | 110 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 14% | 82 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 32% | 7.1% | 7 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 7/yr | 2/yr | 6 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 12/yr | 16 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 57/yr | 29/yr | 8 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 60/yr | 112/yr | 151 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 Pickens County: freezing from December to January, heavy rain in January, February 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