Pickens County, South Carolina · Pickens
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Pipes freeze in Pickens County on about 4 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 13% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in October. Pickens County averages 15.5 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Pickens County gets about 15.5 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 49 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Pickens County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the South Carolina county median of 5.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 91 times a year in Pickens County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 58,677 homes and around 134,629 residents, Pickens County is 497 square miles of northwest South Carolina. The county seat is Pickens, and Easley, Clemson and Clemson University round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1989.
62/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Pickens County ranks 7 of 46 South Carolina counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pickens County ranks highest compared with other South Carolina counties.
Pickens is on the colder side of South Carolina for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 50 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 2nd of 46 counties.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 13 and the last spring freeze around Mar 24.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of South Carolina. The county gets about 60.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 15.5 days of an inch or more (2nd of 46). Those downpours cluster in February, October and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 6.74 inches on September 27, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 11.54 inches (through September 27, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 49 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
South Carolina's 46 counties range widely in housing age; Pickens ranks 33rd, with 35% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 13% built before 1960 to 29% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
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 16% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 91 times a year here, below 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Pickens County homes break down as 32% utility gas, 61% electric, 4% propane and 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 Pickens County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Pickens gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Anderson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 40% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pickens | South Carolina median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 13% | 15% | 33 of 46 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 35% | 40% | 33 of 46 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29% | 25% | 18 of 46 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 22% | 34 of 46 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 16% | 36 of 46 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.1% | 5.1% | 24 of 46 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 2/yr | 2 of 46 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 12/yr | 2 of 46 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 49/yr | 35/yr | 7 of 46 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 91/yr | 114/yr | 43 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 Pickens County: freezing from January, heavy rain in February, 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