Fentress County, Tennessee · Jamestown
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With 12% of homes built before 1960 and about 16 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in February. Fentress County averages 14.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
12% 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.
Fentress County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.52 inches, and about 69 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
26% of occupied homes in Fentress County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
About 46 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
With 9,260 homes and around 19,309 residents, Fentress County is 499 square miles of northern Tennessee. Besides Jamestown, the county seat, the biggest communities are Grimsley, Allardt and Clarkrange. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1987.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Fentress County ranks 47 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Fentress County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Fentress County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Tennessee. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 16 nights a year at or below 20°F (6th of 95) and 78 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 5 days below freezing (ending February 2015), and the low bottomed out near -8°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 27 and end around Apr 16.
Rainfall is about average for Tennessee. Of roughly 60.1 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 14.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 36th of 95. February, May and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.52 inches, March 28, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.1 inches, ending April 24, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 69 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
39% of homes in Fentress County predate 1980, close to the Tennessee county median of 41.2%, which ranks 61st of Tennessee's 95 counties.
The mix runs from 12% built before 1960 to 28% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 19% 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 15% 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
Fentress County averages 46 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in February. 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, Fentress County homes break down as 25% utility gas, 49% electric, 14% propane and 12% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Fentress County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Scott gets more pipe-freeze nights than Fentress. Overton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 46% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Fentress | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 16% | 76 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 39% | 41% | 61 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 28% | 27% | 43 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 16% | 38 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 12% | 26 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 7.8% | 4 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 16/yr | 11/yr | 6 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 14/yr | 36 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 69/yr | 60/yr | 13 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 46/yr | 74/yr | 85 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 Fentress County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, May 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