Ware County, Georgia · Waycross
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Ware County averages 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 23% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.3 times a year here, most often in January. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
23% 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.
In Ware County, 4.39 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
2% of occupied homes in Ware County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
About 138 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
Ware County covers 899 square miles of southeast Georgia, with about 35,976 residents and 15,943 homes. Besides Waycross, the county seat, the biggest communities are Deenwood, Sunnyside and Manor. The county's median home was built in 1978.
43/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Ware County ranks 117 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Ware County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Ware County is milder than most of Georgia, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 13 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 117th of 159 counties.
With only about 13 freezing nights a year, many homes here aren't built for cold, so a single arctic outbreak can burst pipes across the county. The record low in this data was about 20°F, on December 25, 2022.
Ware gets fewer downpours than most Georgia counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 48 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 9.3 days of an inch or more (155th of 159). Those downpours cluster in January, February and March, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.39 inches on August 6, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.94 inches (through September 12, 2017).
Housing
54% of homes in Ware County predate 1980, above the Georgia county median of 38.4%, which ranks 11th of Georgia's 159 counties.
In Ware County 23% 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.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 30% 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.
20% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, close to 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.
With 19% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Renters occupy 37% 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 138 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Ware County it's 9% utility gas, 88% electric, 1% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Ware County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Ware gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Ware | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 15% | 26 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 54% | 38% | 11 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 27% | 148 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 20% | 21% | 86 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 19% | 14% | 42 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.9% | 7.1% | 144 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 2/yr | 117 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.3/yr | 12/yr | 155 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 13/yr | 29/yr | 147 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 138/yr | 112/yr | 15 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 Ware County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, February and March.
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