Coffee County, Tennessee · Manchester
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Coffee County averages 12 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 16% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 16.2 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Coffee County gets about 16.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Coffee County, 3.59 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
6% of occupied homes in Coffee County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
With 62 muggy nights a year, mold in Coffee County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 59,710 people live in Coffee County, 429 square miles in southern Tennessee, in roughly 25,467 homes. The county seat is Manchester, and Tullahoma, New Union and Lakewood Park round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
58/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Coffee County ranks 25 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Coffee County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Coffee County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Tennessee. From 2015–2024 it averaged 12 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 69 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 31st of 95 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 3 days below freezing (ending February 2015), and the low bottomed out near -7°F on January 17, 2024.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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 Oct 31 and end around Apr 3.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Tennessee. The county gets about 62.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 16.2 days of an inch or more (8th of 95). Those downpours cluster in February, March and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.59 inches on February 6, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.45 inches, ending September 21, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 65 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
Roughly 42% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Coffee near the middle of Tennessee's 95 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 16% predate 1960 and 27% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
30% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
13% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below 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.
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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 62 times a year here, below the Tennessee county median of 74. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Coffee County's occupied homes: 26% utility gas, 68% electric, 5% propane and under 1% 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 Coffee County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Grundy gets more pipe-freeze nights than Coffee. Warren County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Coffee | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 16% | 56 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 42% | 41% | 42 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 27% | 46 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 16% | 54 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 9.3% | 12% | 66 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.6% | 7.8% | 65 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 12/yr | 11/yr | 31 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 14/yr | 8 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 65/yr | 60/yr | 24 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 62/yr | 74/yr | 69 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 Coffee County: freezing from December 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