Marion County, Mississippi · Columbia
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Marion County averages 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 16% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 16.7 times a year here, most often in January. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Marion County spike on heavy-rain days, about 16.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 21 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
15% of occupied homes in Marion County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
About 141 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 11,163 homes and around 24,193 residents, Marion County is 542 square miles of southern Mississippi. Columbia is the county seat; Foxworth and Kokomo are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1980, half after.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Marion County ranks 29 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Marion County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Marion County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 2 nights a year at or below 20°F (47th of 82) and 21 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 21 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 11°F on January 17, 2018.
Rainfall is about average for Mississippi. The county gets about 65.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 16.7 days of an inch or more (33rd of 82). Those downpours cluster in January, April and May, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 8.74 inches on March 11, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 9.92 inches, ending March 12, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 21 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
49% of homes in Marion County predate 1980, above the Mississippi county median of 45.1%, which ranks 21st of Mississippi's 82 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 16% 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.
32% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
23% 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.
Beyond water
Marion County averages 141 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Marion County homes break down as 12% utility gas, 72% electric, 13% propane and 2% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Marion County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Marion gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Marion | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 15% | 34 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 45% | 21 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 23% | 62 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 23% | 20% | 32 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 17% | 31 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 15% | 40 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 47 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 16/yr | 33 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 21/yr | 32/yr | 73 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 141/yr | 125/yr | 6 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 Marion County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, April and May.
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