Harrison County, Mississippi · Gulfport
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Harrison County averages 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 11% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 18.9 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Harrison County spike on heavy-rain days, about 18.9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
3% of occupied homes in Harrison County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
About 153 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 94,898 homes and around 210,891 residents, Harrison County is 574 square miles of southeast Mississippi. Gulfport is the county seat; Biloxi, Long Beach and D'Iberville are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1994.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Harrison County ranks 53 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Harrison County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Mississippi, and pipes still freeze. 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 80th of 82 counties.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 13 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 18, 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 April, out of 68.7 inches of total precipitation. On August 30, 2021, 7.77 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 10.2 inches, ending August 31, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
Mississippi's 82 counties range widely in housing age; Harrison ranks 69th, with 34% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 41% 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 25% 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 7% 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.
Renters occupy 38% 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 153 times a year here, above 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 Harrison County it's 20% utility gas, 76% electric, 2% 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 Harrison County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Stone gets more pipe-freeze nights than Harrison. Jackson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 45% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Harrison | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 11% | 15% | 65 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 34% | 45% | 69 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 41% | 23% | 7 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.1% | 20% | 76 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 17% | 72 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 2.5% | 15% | 82 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 3/yr | 80 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 19/yr | 16/yr | 8 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 13/yr | 32/yr | 80 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 153/yr | 125/yr | 2 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 Harrison County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in April, May 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