Claiborne County, Mississippi · Port Gibson
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Claiborne County averages 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 12% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in January. Claiborne County averages 15.8 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Claiborne County gets about 15.8 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 24 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
24% of occupied homes in Claiborne County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
About 133 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
About 8,582 people live in Claiborne County, 487 square miles in western Mississippi, in roughly 3,959 homes. The county seat is Port Gibson, and Alcorn State University, Hermanville and Pattison round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1982.
35/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Claiborne County ranks 76 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Claiborne County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
For frozen pipes, Claiborne County is a typical Mississippi county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 2 nights a year at or below 20°F (47th of 82) and 24 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
With only about 24 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 9°F, on January 17, 2024.
Rainfall is about average for Mississippi. Of roughly 57.8 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 15.8 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 52nd of 82. January, February and March see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 6.74 inches, October 26, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.77 inches (through October 27, 2015).
About 24 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
Mississippi's 82 counties range widely in housing age; Claiborne ranks 37th, with 46% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 12% predate 1960 and 19% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
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.
37% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Mississippi county median of 20%. 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 24% 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.
Beyond water
About 133 nights a year in Claiborne County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (27th of 82 counties). January is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Claiborne County homes break down as 20% utility gas, 56% electric, 21% propane and 4% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Claiborne County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Claiborne gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Hinds County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Claiborne | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 15% | 60 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 45% | 37 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 23% | 64 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 37% | 20% | 2 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 24% | 17% | 7 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 15% | 18 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 47 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 16/yr | 52 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 24/yr | 32/yr | 59 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 133/yr | 125/yr | 27 of 82 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Mississippi county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Claiborne 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