Newton County, Mississippi · Decatur
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Newton County averages 3 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 17% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 16.9 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Newton County gets about 16.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 39 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
17% of occupied homes in Newton 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 121 times a year in Newton County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 21,093 people live in Newton County, 578 square miles in eastern Mississippi, in roughly 9,160 homes. The county seat is Decatur, and Newton, Union and Conehatta round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1982.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Newton County ranks 20 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Newton County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Newton is on the colder side of Mississippi for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 3 nights a year at or below 20°F (28th of 82) and 39 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs January. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 14 and the last spring freeze around Mar 12.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Mississippi. The county gets about 61.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 16.9 days of an inch or more (26th of 82). Those downpours cluster in January, February and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 5 inches on December 28, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.86 inches (through August 25, 2022).
About 39 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; Newton ranks 31st, with 48% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 17% built before 1960 to 27% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 26% 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 24% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 121 times a year here, close to the Mississippi county median of 125. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Newton County it's 13% utility gas, 68% electric, 17% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Newton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Newton gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Lauderdale County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Newton | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 17% | 15% | 32 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 48% | 45% | 31 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 23% | 31 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 20% | 28 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 17% | 48 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 15% | 34 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 3/yr | 28 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 16/yr | 26 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 39/yr | 32/yr | 26 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 121/yr | 125/yr | 46 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 Newton 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