Haywood County, Tennessee · Brownsville
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Haywood County averages 9 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 14.7 times a year here, most often in March. 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 Haywood County, 4.56 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
14% of occupied homes in Haywood County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 98 times a year in Haywood County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 8,260 homes and around 17,475 residents, Haywood County is 533 square miles of western Tennessee. The county seat is Brownsville, and Stanton and Dancyville round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1977.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Haywood County ranks 34 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Haywood County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Haywood County is milder than most of Tennessee, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 9 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 57 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 72nd of 95 counties.
On January 17, 2024 the low fell to about -3°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 8 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 7 and the last spring freeze around Mar 28.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Tennessee. The county gets about 56.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 14.7 days of an inch or more (32nd of 95). Those downpours cluster in February, March and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.56 inches on September 1, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.4 inches (through March 11, 2016).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 52 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
58% of homes in Haywood County predate 1980, above the Tennessee county median of 41.2%, which ranks 3rd of Tennessee's 95 counties.
The mix runs from 19% built before 1960 to 18% 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 25% 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.
Here 11% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Renters occupy 39% 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 98 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Haywood County it's 34% utility gas, 52% electric, 11% propane and 3% wood. Propane heat is 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 Haywood County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crockett and Madison get more pipe-freeze nights than Haywood. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Haywood | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 19% | 16% | 32 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 58% | 41% | 3 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 27% | 90 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 16% | 68 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 12% | 36 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 7.8% | 26 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 9/yr | 11/yr | 72 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 14/yr | 32 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 52/yr | 60/yr | 88 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 98/yr | 74/yr | 7 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 Haywood 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