Orangeburg County, South Carolina · Orangeburg
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Orangeburg County averages 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 15% of its homes predate 1960.
June brings the most downpours to Orangeburg County, part of 11 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Orangeburg County gets about 11 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Orangeburg County, 6.54 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 Orangeburg County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the South Carolina county median of 5.1%.
About 119 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 83,253 people live in Orangeburg County, 1,106 square miles in central South Carolina, in roughly 41,527 homes. The county seat is Orangeburg, and Brookdale, Wilkinson Heights and Edisto round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1983, half after.
45/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Orangeburg County ranks 31 of 46 South Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Orangeburg County ranks highest compared with other South Carolina counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Orangeburg County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 29 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 20th of 46 counties.
Most freezing nights fall from midwinter, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 21 and end around Mar 11.
Orangeburg gets fewer downpours than most South Carolina counties, but they still fill basements. About 11 days a year bring an inch or more (33rd of 46), most often in June, out of 51 inches of total precipitation. On October 8, 2016, 6.54 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 11.43 inches, ending October 5, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 29 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
South Carolina's 46 counties range widely in housing age; Orangeburg ranks 11th, with 45% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 15% of homes are pre-1960 and 18% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
About 37% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 31% 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 20% 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.
Renters occupy 33% 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
Orangeburg County averages 119 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Orangeburg County's occupied homes: 9% utility gas, 80% electric, 8% 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 Orangeburg County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Orangeburg gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Bamberg County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Orangeburg | South Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 15% | 23 of 46 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 40% | 11 of 46 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 25% | 39 of 46 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 31% | 22% | 9 of 46 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 16% | 6 of 46 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.7% | 5.1% | 11 of 46 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 2/yr | 20 of 46 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 12/yr | 33 of 46 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 29/yr | 35/yr | 36 of 46 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 119/yr | 114/yr | 11 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 Orangeburg County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in June, July and August.
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