Grundy County, Tennessee · Altamont
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Grundy County averages 13 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 19% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 17.7 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
19% 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.
In Grundy County, 4.24 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
31% of occupied homes in Grundy County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
With 49 muggy nights a year, mold in Grundy County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Grundy County covers 360 square miles of southern Tennessee, with about 13,819 residents and 6,240 homes. Besides Altamont, the county seat, the biggest communities are Monteagle, Tracy City and Gruetli-Laager. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1987.
69/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Grundy County ranks 6 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Grundy County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Grundy is on the colder side of Tennessee for pipes. It averaged 70 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 13 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 95 Tennessee counties that's 18th.
The longest cold spell was straight 6 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2015. The coldest night reached about -6°F on January 17, 2024. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs December 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 Nov 2 and the last spring freeze around Apr 8.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Tennessee. Of roughly 67 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 17.7 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 2nd of 95. February, March and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.24 inches, February 6, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.09 inches (through February 7, 2020).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 64 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
Tennessee's 95 counties range widely in housing age; Grundy ranks 56th, with 40% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 19% 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 34% 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 24% 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.
17% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 49 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Grundy County homes break down as 9% utility gas, 59% electric, 24% propane and 7% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Tennessee counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Grundy 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 any of its neighbors. Warren County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Grundy | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 19% | 16% | 34 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 40% | 41% | 56 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 27% | 51 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 16% | 15 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 12% | 16 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 31% | 7.8% | 1 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 13/yr | 11/yr | 18 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 18/yr | 14/yr | 2 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 64/yr | 60/yr | 32 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 49/yr | 74/yr | 82 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 Grundy 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