Wayne County, Mississippi · Waynesboro
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Pipes freeze in Wayne County on about 2 nights a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 13% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in March. Wayne County averages 20.3 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Wayne County spike on heavy-rain days, about 20.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 29 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
23% of occupied homes in Wayne County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
With 129 muggy nights a year, mold in Wayne County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 9,143 homes and around 19,718 residents, Wayne County is 811 square miles of southeast Mississippi. Besides Waynesboro, the county seat, the biggest communities are Clara and Buckatunna. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Wayne County ranks 36 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Wayne County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Wayne County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 29 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 47th of 82 counties.
The freeze season here runs midwinter, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 17 and end around Mar 9.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Mississippi. The county gets about 66.1 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 20.3 days of an inch or more (1st of 82). Those downpours cluster in January, March and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 6.98 inches on December 28, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.36 inches, ending December 30, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 29 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
Roughly 43% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Wayne near the middle of Mississippi's 82 counties.
The mix runs from 13% built before 1960 to 22% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
35% 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.
29% 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
About 129 nights a year in Wayne County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (34th of 82 counties). June 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Wayne County it's 19% utility gas, 58% electric, 21% propane and 2% wood. Propane heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Wayne County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Wayne gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Jones County has the oldest housing nearby, with 48% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Wayne | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 13% | 15% | 54 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 43% | 45% | 49 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 23% | 48 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 29% | 20% | 15 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 17% | 47 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 23% | 15% | 23 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 47 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 20/yr | 16/yr | 1 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 29/yr | 32/yr | 47 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 129/yr | 125/yr | 34 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 Wayne County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, 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