Lee County, Mississippi · Tupelo
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With 12% of homes built before 1960 and about 4 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
February brings the most downpours to Lee County, part of 15.7 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.
Lee County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.21 inches, and about 42 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
7% of occupied homes in Lee County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
About 109 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
Lee County covers 450 square miles of northeast Mississippi, with about 83,034 residents and 37,654 homes. Tupelo is the county seat; Saltillo, Baldwyn and Verona are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1988.
41/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Lee County ranks 68 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lee County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Lee County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Mississippi. From 2015–2024 it averaged 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 44 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 17th of 82 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 6 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about 6°F on December 23, 2022. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 12 and end around Mar 21.
Lee gets fewer downpours than most Mississippi counties, but they still fill basements. About 15.7 days a year bring an inch or more (58th of 82), most often in February, out of 58.4 inches of total precipitation. On July 4, 2015, 4.21 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.66 inches, ending February 23, 2019, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 42 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; Lee ranks 62nd, with 39% of its homes built before 1980.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 30% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 31% 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 11% 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
About 109 nights a year in Lee County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (70th of 82 counties). February is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Lee County's occupied homes: 41% utility gas, 52% electric, 7% 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 Lee County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Itawamba, Pontotoc, Prentiss and Union get more pipe-freeze nights than Lee. Chickasaw County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lee | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 15% | 57 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 39% | 45% | 62 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 30% | 23% | 22 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 20% | 67 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 17% | 64 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 6.9% | 15% | 71 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 17 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 16/yr | 58 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 42/yr | 32/yr | 17 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 109/yr | 125/yr | 70 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 Lee County: freezing from January, heavy rain in February, March and April.
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