Franklin County, Tennessee · Winchester
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Franklin County averages 9 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 20% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 18.4 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 Franklin County gets about 18.4 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 58 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Franklin County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 70 times a year in Franklin County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 20,110 homes and around 43,990 residents, Franklin County is 551 square miles of southern Tennessee. Besides Winchester, the county seat, the biggest communities are Decherd, Sewanee and Estill Springs. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
61/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Franklin County ranks 16 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Franklin County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Franklin County is milder than most of Tennessee, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 9 nights a year at or below 20°F (72nd of 95) and 62 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 17, 2024 the low fell to about -4°F, and in the stretch ending February 2015 the county went 3 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 4 and the last spring freeze around Mar 30.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Tennessee. About 18.4 days a year bring an inch or more (1st of 95), most often in February, out of 66.1 inches of total precipitation. On February 6, 2020, 4.18 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.03 inches (through February 7, 2020).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 58 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 Franklin near the middle of Tennessee's 95 counties.
The mix runs from 20% built before 1960 to 26% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 32% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 8% 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.
Beyond water
About 70 nights a year in Franklin County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (53rd 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 expectMain heating fuel in Franklin County's occupied homes: 25% utility gas, 65% electric, 8% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Franklin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Coffee, Grundy and Moore get more pipe-freeze nights than Franklin. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Lincoln County has the oldest housing nearby, with 44% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Franklin | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 20% | 16% | 20 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 42% | 41% | 43 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 27% | 53 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.1% | 16% | 78 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 12% | 35 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.4% | 7.8% | 48 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 9/yr | 11/yr | 72 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 18/yr | 14/yr | 1 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 58/yr | 60/yr | 66 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 70/yr | 74/yr | 53 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 Franklin 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