Campbell County, Tennessee · Jacksboro
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With 19% of homes built before 1960 and about 15 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in February. Campbell County averages 13.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
19% 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.
Campbell County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.74 inches, and about 74 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
10% of occupied homes in Campbell County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
With 42 muggy nights a year, mold in Campbell County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 20,559 homes and around 39,761 residents, Campbell County is 480 square miles of northeast Tennessee. Besides Jacksboro, the county seat, the biggest communities are La Follette, Caryville and Jellico. Half the homes here were built before 1984, half after.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Campbell County ranks 30 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Campbell County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Campbell County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Tennessee. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 15 nights a year at or below 20°F (8th of 95) and 81 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 17, 2024 the low fell to about -6°F, and in the stretch ending February 2015 the county went 6 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 Oct 29 and end around Apr 14.
Campbell gets fewer downpours than most Tennessee counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 59.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 13.1 days of an inch or more (68th of 95). Those downpours cluster in January, February and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.74 inches on February 6, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.75 inches, ending February 7, 2020, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 74 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
43% of homes in Campbell County predate 1980, close to the Tennessee county median of 41.2%, which ranks 39th of Tennessee's 95 counties.
The mix runs from 19% built before 1960 to 23% 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 34% 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.
15% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, close to the Tennessee county median of 15.9%. 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.
The Census counted 16% of homes as vacant, above the Tennessee county median of 11.9%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Renters occupy 31% 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
About 42 nights a year in Campbell County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (87th of 95 counties). February is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Campbell County's occupied homes: 27% utility gas, 61% electric, 8% propane and 3% 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 Campbell County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Claiborne and Scott get more pipe-freeze nights than Campbell. Anderson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Campbell | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 19% | 16% | 29 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 43% | 41% | 39 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 27% | 68 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 15% | 16% | 50 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 12% | 22 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 10% | 7.8% | 39 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 15/yr | 11/yr | 8 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 14/yr | 68 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 74/yr | 60/yr | 6 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 42/yr | 74/yr | 87 of 95 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Tennessee county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Campbell County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in January, February 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