Claiborne County, Tennessee · Tazewell
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Claiborne County averages 17 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to February, and 14% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in February. Claiborne County averages 11.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Claiborne County gets about 11.1 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 78 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
11% of occupied homes in Claiborne County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
About 39 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 32,466 people live in Claiborne County, 435 square miles in northeast Tennessee, in roughly 15,512 homes. The county seat is Tazewell, and Harrogate, New Tazewell and Cumberland Gap round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1987.
41/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Claiborne County ranks 73 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Claiborne County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Claiborne is on the colder side of Tennessee for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 17 nights a year at or below 20°F (5th of 95) and 85 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 7 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -8°F on February 20, 2015.
The freeze season here runs November 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 30 and the last spring freeze around Apr 18.
Claiborne gets fewer downpours than most Tennessee counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 54.9 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 11.1 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 83rd of 95. February, March and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.43 inches, February 6, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.42 inches (through March 28, 2021).
About 78 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
Tennessee's 95 counties range widely in housing age; Claiborne ranks 53rd, with 40% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 14% predate 1960 and 31% 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 29% 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.
23% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above 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.
Beyond water
About 39 nights a year in Claiborne County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (92nd of 95 counties). February is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Claiborne County homes break down as 4% utility gas, 84% electric, 5% propane and 6% wood. Wood 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 Claiborne County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Claiborne gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Hancock County has the oldest housing nearby, with 47% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Claiborne | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 16% | 68 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 40% | 41% | 53 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 31% | 27% | 30 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 23% | 16% | 17 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 12% | 50 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 7.8% | 37 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 17/yr | 11/yr | 5 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 14/yr | 83 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 78/yr | 60/yr | 4 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 39/yr | 74/yr | 92 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 Claiborne County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in February, March 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