Pierce County, Georgia · Blackshear
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With 8% of homes built before 1960 and about 0 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
April brings the most downpours to Pierce County, part of 10.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
8% 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.
Pierce County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 5.69 inches.
3% of occupied homes in Pierce 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 136 times a year in Pierce County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 20,202 people live in Pierce County, 340 square miles in southeast Georgia, in roughly 8,543 homes. The county seat is Blackshear, and Patterson, Offerman and Bristol round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1990.
26/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Pierce County ranks 156 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pierce County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Georgia, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 0 nights a year at or below 20°F (117th of 159) and 15 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 15 nights a year at or below 32°F, and that's exactly why they do damage: pipes in attics, exterior walls and slab-edge plumbing are rarely insulated. The coldest night in the record was about 20°F on December 25, 2022.
Pierce gets fewer downpours than most Georgia counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 48.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 10.5 days of an inch or more (136th of 159). Those downpours cluster in January, April and May, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 5.69 inches on August 6, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.05 inches, ending August 7, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
32% of homes in Pierce County predate 1980, below the Georgia county median of 38.4%, which ranks 105th of Georgia's 159 counties.
The mix runs from 8% built before 1960 to 26% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 42% 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.
31% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 136 times a year here, above 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 expectMain heating fuel in Pierce County's occupied homes: 1% utility gas, 94% electric, 2% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Pierce County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Pierce gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Ware County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pierce | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 7.8% | 15% | 127 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 32% | 38% | 105 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 27% | 85 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 31% | 21% | 42 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 14% | 105 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 2.9% | 7.1% | 128 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 2/yr | 117 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 12/yr | 136 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 15/yr | 29/yr | 135 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 136/yr | 112/yr | 20 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 Pierce County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, April and May.
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