Decatur County, Tennessee · Decaturville
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Decatur County averages 9 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 15% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 14.3 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 Decatur County gets about 14.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Decatur County, 4.78 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
11% of occupied homes in Decatur County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
With 85 muggy nights a year, mold in Decatur County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 11,579 people live in Decatur County, 334 square miles in western Tennessee, in roughly 6,591 homes. The county seat is Decaturville, and Parsons is the other large town. Half the homes here were built before 1984, half after.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Decatur County ranks 71 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Decatur County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Tennessee, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 9 nights a year at or below 20°F (72nd of 95) and 61 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 7 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -4°F on January 17, 2024. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 Nov 6 and end around Mar 30.
Rainfall is about average for Tennessee. The county gets about 58.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 14.3 days of an inch or more (45th of 95). Those downpours cluster in February, March and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.78 inches on September 1, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.85 inches, ending February 24, 2022, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 57 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
46% of homes in Decatur County predate 1980, above the Tennessee county median of 41.2%, which ranks 33rd of Tennessee's 95 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 15% of homes are pre-1960 and 26% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 21% 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 31% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 85 times a year here, above 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 Decatur County's occupied homes: 46% utility gas, 42% 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 Decatur County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Benton, Carroll, Henderson and Perry get more pipe-freeze nights than Decatur. Carroll County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Decatur | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 16% | 58 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 41% | 33 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 27% | 56 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 21% | 16% | 26 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 31% | 12% | 3 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 7.8% | 34 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 9/yr | 11/yr | 72 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 14/yr | 45 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 57/yr | 60/yr | 76 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 85/yr | 74/yr | 23 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 Decatur 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