Yalobusha County, Mississippi · Water Valley
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With 18% of homes built before 1960 and about 5 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 15.5 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 Yalobusha County gets about 15.5 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Yalobusha County, 4.74 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
33% of occupied homes in Yalobusha County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Mississippi county median of 15.1%.
About 110 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
About 12,419 people live in Yalobusha County, 467 square miles in northern Mississippi, in roughly 6,504 homes. Besides Water Valley, the county seat, the biggest communities are Coffeeville, Oakland and Tillatoba. Half the homes here were built before 1981, half after.
54/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Yalobusha County ranks 32 of 82 Mississippi counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Yalobusha County ranks highest compared with other Mississippi counties.
Yalobusha County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Mississippi. From 2015–2024 it averaged 5 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 46 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 11th of 82 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 7 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near 4°F on December 23, 2022.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 12 and end around Mar 19.
Yalobusha gets fewer downpours than most Mississippi counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 58.3 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 15.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 65th of 82. February, April and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.74 inches, June 9, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 8.88 inches, ending June 10, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 44 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 Yalobusha County predate 1980, close to the Mississippi county median of 45.1%, which ranks 24th of Mississippi's 82 counties.
The mix runs from 18% built before 1960 to 17% 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.
24% 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.
The Census counted 23% of homes as vacant, above the Mississippi county median of 16.8%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
About 110 nights a year in Yalobusha County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (67th of 82 counties). February is the wettest month. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Yalobusha County's occupied homes: 21% utility gas, 46% electric, 31% 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 Yalobusha County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Lafayette gets more pipe-freeze nights than Yalobusha. Tallahatchie County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Yalobusha | Mississippi median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 15% | 24 of 82 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 45% | 24 of 82 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 23% | 71 of 82 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 20% | 29 of 82 |
| Vacant homes | 23% | 17% | 10 of 82 |
| Wood or propane heat | 33% | 15% | 6 of 82 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 3/yr | 11 of 82 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 16/yr | 65 of 82 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 44/yr | 32/yr | 12 of 82 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 110/yr | 125/yr | 67 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 Yalobusha County: freezing from January, heavy rain in February, April and December.
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