Upson County, Georgia · Thomaston
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With 32% of homes built before 1960 and about 2 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in December. Upson County averages 11.3 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Upson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 11.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Upson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 5.91 inches, and about 33 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
11% of occupied homes in Upson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
About 103 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Upson County covers 323 square miles of western Georgia, with about 28,029 residents and 12,434 homes. Besides Thomaston, the county seat, the biggest communities are Hannahs Mill, Sunset Village and Lincoln Park. The county's median home was built in 1977.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Upson County ranks 42 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Upson County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Upson is on the colder side of Georgia for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 33 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 48th of 159 counties.
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 11.
Upson gets fewer downpours than most Georgia counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 53 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 11.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 117th of 159. January, April and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 5.91 inches, September 17, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.73 inches (through September 27, 2024).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 33 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Georgia's 159 counties range widely in housing age; Upson ranks 12th, with 53% of its homes built before 1980.
In Upson County 32% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
About 30% 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.
12% 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.
Renters occupy 39% 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
Upson County averages 103 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in December. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Upson County's occupied homes: 25% utility gas, 62% electric, 10% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most Georgia counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Upson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Meriwether gets more pipe-freeze nights than Upson. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Upson | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 32% | 15% | 2 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 53% | 38% | 12 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 27% | 146 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 21% | 112 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 14% | 75 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 7.1% | 52 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 2/yr | 48 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 12/yr | 117 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 33/yr | 29/yr | 65 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 103/yr | 112/yr | 98 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 Upson 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