Stewart County, Georgia · Lumpkin
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Pipes freeze in Stewart County on about 1 night a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 21% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in December. Stewart County averages 13.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
21% 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.
Stewart County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 6.14 inches, and about 25 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
10% of occupied homes in Stewart County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
With 114 muggy nights a year, mold in Stewart County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Stewart County covers 459 square miles of southwest Georgia, with about 4,869 residents and 2,105 homes. The county seat is Lumpkin, and Richland is the other large town. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1987.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Stewart County ranks 38 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Stewart County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Stewart County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 1 night a year at or below 20°F (85th of 159) and 25 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Most freezing nights fall from midwinter, 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 25 and end around Mar 6.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Georgia. The county gets about 53.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 13.1 days of an inch or more (41st of 159). Those downpours cluster in January, April and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 6.14 inches on September 17, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.09 inches, ending September 17, 2020, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 25 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; Stewart ranks 74th, with 40% of its homes built before 1980.
21% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 35% 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.
Here 31% 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.
Renters occupy 41% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 114 times a year here, close to the Georgia county median of 112. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Stewart County it's 17% utility gas, 72% electric, 10% 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 Stewart County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Chattahoochee and Marion get more pipe-freeze nights than Stewart. Chattahoochee County has the oldest housing nearby, with 49% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Stewart | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 15% | 40 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 40% | 38% | 74 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 27% | 88 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 31% | 21% | 36 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 14% | 65 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 10% | 7.1% | 61 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 2/yr | 85 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 12/yr | 41 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 25/yr | 29/yr | 90 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 114/yr | 112/yr | 76 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 Stewart County: freezing from midwinter, 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