Robeson County, North Carolina · Lumberton
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Robeson County averages 3 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 15% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 10.5 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Robeson County gets about 10.5 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Robeson County, 7.62 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
10% of occupied homes in Robeson County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the North Carolina county median of 11.7%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 110 times a year in Robeson County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 116,902 people live in Robeson County, 947 square miles in southern North Carolina, in roughly 49,111 homes. The county seat is Lumberton, and Red Springs, Pembroke and St. Pauls round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
36/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Robeson County ranks 88 of 100 North Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Robeson County ranks highest compared with other North Carolina counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for North Carolina, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 3 nights a year at or below 20°F (74th of 100) and 37 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The freeze season here runs January, 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 20 and end around Mar 19.
Robeson gets fewer downpours than most North Carolina counties, but they still fill basements. About 10.5 days a year bring an inch or more (78th of 100), most often in September, out of 49.4 inches of total precipitation. On September 16, 2018, 7.62 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 17.75 inches, ending September 17, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 37 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 40% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Robeson near the middle of North Carolina's 100 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 15% of homes are pre-1960 and 22% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
38% 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.
Here 38% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Renters occupy 34% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Robeson County averages 110 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in September. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Robeson County it's 7% utility gas, 81% electric, 9% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Robeson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Robeson gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Scotland County has the oldest housing nearby, with 47% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Robeson | North Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 18% | 61 of 100 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 40% | 41% | 55 of 100 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 26% | 72 of 100 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 38% | 17% | 3 of 100 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 13% | 60 of 100 |
| Wood or propane heat | 10% | 12% | 56 of 100 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 5/yr | 74 of 100 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 12/yr | 78 of 100 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 37/yr | 57/yr | 87 of 100 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 110/yr | 89/yr | 12 of 100 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest North Carolina county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Robeson County: freezing from January, heavy rain in January, September 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