Colleton County, South Carolina · Walterboro
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With 14% of homes built before 1960 and about 1 hard-freeze night a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.6 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Colleton County gets about 12.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Colleton County, 10.18 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
12% of occupied homes in Colleton County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the South Carolina county median of 5.1%.
About 129 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
With 20,083 homes and around 38,783 residents, Colleton County is 1,056 square miles of southern South Carolina. Walterboro is the county seat; Cottageville, Edisto Beach and Jacksonboro are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1987.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Colleton County ranks 32 of 46 South Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Colleton County ranks highest compared with other South Carolina counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for South Carolina, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 1 night a year at or below 20°F (40th of 46) and 22 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 22 nights a year at or below 32°F, and that's exactly why they do damage: pipes in attics, exterior walls and slab-edge plumbing are rarely insulated. The coldest night in the record was about 15°F on January 5, 2018.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of South Carolina. About 12.6 days a year bring an inch or more (14th of 46), most often in July, out of 53.3 inches of total precipitation. On October 8, 2016, 10.18 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 10.77 inches, ending August 8, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 22 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
South Carolina's 46 counties range widely in housing age; Colleton ranks 29th, with 36% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 14% built before 1960 to 26% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 38% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 36% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
With 18% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 129 times a year here, above the South Carolina county median of 113.5. 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 Colleton County it's 7% utility gas, 79% electric, 10% propane and 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most South Carolina counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Colleton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bamberg and Orangeburg get more pipe-freeze nights than Colleton. Bamberg County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Colleton | South Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 15% | 31 of 46 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 36% | 40% | 29 of 46 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 25% | 23 of 46 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 36% | 22% | 4 of 46 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 16% | 12 of 46 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 5.1% | 4 of 46 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 2/yr | 40 of 46 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 12/yr | 14 of 46 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 22/yr | 35/yr | 41 of 46 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 129/yr | 114/yr | 4 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 Colleton County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in July, August and September.
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