Cherokee County, South Carolina · Gaffney
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With 15% 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.
Basements flood here mostly in April. Cherokee County averages 10.3 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
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.
Cherokee County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.41 inches, and about 59 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
11% of occupied homes in Cherokee County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the South Carolina county median of 5.1%.
About 86 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
Cherokee County covers 393 square miles of northern South Carolina, with about 56,647 residents and 25,150 homes. Gaffney is the county seat; East Gaffney, Blacksburg and Cherokee Falls are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1984, half after.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Cherokee County ranks 28 of 46 South Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Cherokee County ranks highest compared with other South Carolina counties.
Cherokee County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of South Carolina. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 5 nights a year at or below 20°F (1st of 46) and 60 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The freeze season here runs December to February, 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 9 and end around Mar 29.
Cherokee gets fewer downpours than most South Carolina counties, but they still fill basements. About 10.3 days a year bring an inch or more (41st of 46), most often in April, out of 45.7 inches of total precipitation. On August 9, 2024, 4.41 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.26 inches, ending September 28, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 59 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
44% of homes in Cherokee County predate 1980, above the South Carolina county median of 39.8%, which ranks 13th of South Carolina's 46 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 15% predate 1960 and 25% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 31% 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.
26% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the South Carolina county median of 22%. 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
Cherokee County averages 86 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in December. 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 Cherokee County it's 17% utility gas, 70% electric, 10% propane and 1% 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 Cherokee County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cherokee gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Union County has the oldest housing nearby, with 64% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Cherokee | South Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 15% | 25 of 46 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 44% | 40% | 13 of 46 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 25% | 25 of 46 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 26% | 22% | 15 of 46 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 16% | 32 of 46 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 5.1% | 6 of 46 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 2/yr | 1 of 46 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 12/yr | 41 of 46 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 59/yr | 35/yr | 1 of 46 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 86/yr | 114/yr | 45 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 Cherokee County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in April, October 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