Charleston County, South Carolina · Charleston
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Charleston County averages 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 15% of its homes predate 1960.
August brings the most downpours to Charleston County, part of 12.9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
15% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Charleston County, 7.91 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
3% of occupied homes in Charleston County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the South Carolina county median of 5.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 140 times a year in Charleston County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 209,803 homes and around 420,264 residents, Charleston County is 918 square miles of southeast South Carolina. The county seat is Charleston, and Mount Pleasant, James Island and Hollywood round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1991.
48/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Charleston County ranks 27 of 46 South Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Charleston County ranks highest compared with other South Carolina counties.
Charleston County is milder than most of South Carolina, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 12 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 45th of 46 counties.
With only about 12 freezing nights a year, many homes here aren't built for cold, so a single arctic outbreak can burst pipes across the county. The record low in this data was about 16°F, on January 5, 2018.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of South Carolina. Of roughly 53.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 12.9 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 9th of 46. August, September and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 7.91 inches, October 8, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 13.86 inches (through October 5, 2015).
Housing
35% of homes in Charleston County predate 1980, below the South Carolina county median of 39.8%, which ranks 34th of South Carolina's 46 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 39% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 27% 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.
Renters occupy 36% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 140 times a year here, above the South Carolina county median of 113.5. 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 Charleston County's occupied homes: 20% utility gas, 76% electric, 3% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Charleston County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Every neighboring county gets more pipe-freeze nights than Charleston. Colleton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 36% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Charleston | South Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 15% | 27 of 46 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 35% | 40% | 34 of 46 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 39% | 25% | 8 of 46 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.9% | 22% | 45 of 46 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 16% | 26 of 46 |
| Wood or propane heat | 2.6% | 5.1% | 41 of 46 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 2/yr | 45 of 46 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 12/yr | 9 of 46 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 12/yr | 35/yr | 45 of 46 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 140/yr | 114/yr | 2 of 46 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest South Carolina county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Charleston County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in August, September and October.
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