Clay County, Mississippi · West Point
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Pipes freeze in Clay County on about 3 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 20% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 15.4 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Clay County gets about 15.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Clay County, 4.37 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
16% of occupied homes in Clay County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
With 116 muggy nights a year, mold in Clay County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 18,383 people live in Clay County, 410 square miles in northeast Mississippi, in roughly 9,052 homes. West Point is the county seat; Pheba is the next largest community. The county's median home was built in 1983.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Clay County ranks 40 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clay County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Clay is on the colder side of Mississippi for pipes. It averaged 39 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 3 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 82 Mississippi counties that's 28th.
On January 17, 2018 the low fell to about 8°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 3 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from January, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 12 and the last spring freeze around Mar 15.
Clay gets fewer downpours than most Mississippi counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 56.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 15.4 days of an inch or more (68th of 82). Those downpours cluster in February, April and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.37 inches on August 31, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.02 inches (through February 13, 2020).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 38 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Mississippi's 82 counties range widely in housing age; Clay ranks 36th, with 46% of its homes built before 1980.
20% 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.
About 33% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 18% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 116 times a year here, close to the Mississippi county median of 125. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Clay County homes break down as 26% utility gas, 58% electric, 15% propane and 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Clay County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Chickasaw, Monroe and Webster get more pipe-freeze nights than Clay. Chickasaw County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clay | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 20% | 15% | 16 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 45% | 36 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 23% | 49 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 20% | 49 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 17% | 62 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 15% | 38 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 3/yr | 28 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 16/yr | 68 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 38/yr | 32/yr | 29 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 116/yr | 125/yr | 59 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 Clay County: freezing from January, heavy rain in February, 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