Montgomery County, Mississippi · Winona
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Pipes freeze in Montgomery County on about 4 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 21% of the stock here, are most at risk.
February brings the most downpours to Montgomery County, part of 15.4 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Montgomery County spike on heavy-rain days, about 15.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Montgomery County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.45 inches, and about 45 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
26% of occupied homes in Montgomery County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 112 times a year in Montgomery County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Montgomery County covers 407 square miles of northern Mississippi, with about 9,602 residents and 5,454 homes. Winona is the county seat; Duck Hill, Kilmichael and Stewart are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1983.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Montgomery County ranks 30 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Montgomery County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Montgomery is on the colder side of Mississippi for pipes. It averaged 48 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 4 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 17th.
The longest cold spell was straight 6 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about 5°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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 12 and the last spring freeze around Mar 16.
Montgomery gets fewer downpours than most Mississippi counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 57.1 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 15.4 days of an inch or more (68th of 82). Those downpours cluster in January, February and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.45 inches on April 10, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.44 inches (through April 11, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 45 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; Montgomery ranks 39th, with 46% of its homes built before 1980.
In Montgomery County 21% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 38% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 19% 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.
24% 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
Montgomery County averages 112 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in February. 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, Montgomery County homes break down as 26% utility gas, 47% electric, 25% propane and 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most Mississippi counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Montgomery County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Montgomery gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Choctaw County has the oldest housing nearby, with 51% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Montgomery | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 15% | 13 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 45% | 39 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 23% | 74 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 20% | 43 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 24% | 17% | 6 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 15% | 14 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 17 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 16/yr | 68 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 45/yr | 32/yr | 10 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 112/yr | 125/yr | 63 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 Montgomery County: freezing from January, heavy rain in January, February 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