Greene County, Mississippi · Leakesville
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Pipes freeze in Greene County on about 1 night a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 12% of the stock here, are most at risk.
March brings the most downpours to Greene County, part of 18.9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
12% 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.
Greene County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.49 inches, and about 24 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
10% of occupied homes in Greene County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
About 134 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
With 5,190 homes and around 13,615 residents, Greene County is 713 square miles of southeast Mississippi. Leakesville is the county seat; State Line, McLain and Leaf are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1987.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Greene County ranks 52 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Greene County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Mississippi, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 24 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 1 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 75th.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 24 nights a year at or below 32°F, and that's exactly why they do damage: pipes in attics, exterior walls and slab-edge plumbing are rarely insulated. The coldest night in the record was about 15°F on January 17, 2018.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Mississippi. About 18.9 days a year bring an inch or more (8th of 82), most often in March, out of 66 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2018, 4.49 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.91 inches, ending June 23, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 24 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
Mississippi's 82 counties range widely in housing age; Greene ranks 64th, with 38% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 28% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 34% 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 35% 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.
21% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 134 times a year here, close to the Mississippi county median of 125. 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 Greene County it's 4% utility gas, 85% electric, 9% propane and 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 Greene County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Wayne gets more pipe-freeze nights than Greene. Wayne County has the oldest housing nearby, with 43% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Greene | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 15% | 57 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 38% | 45% | 64 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 28% | 23% | 26 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 35% | 20% | 5 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 21% | 17% | 18 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.9% | 15% | 58 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 3/yr | 75 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 19/yr | 16/yr | 8 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 24/yr | 32/yr | 59 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 134/yr | 125/yr | 22 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 Greene County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in March, 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