Henderson County, Tennessee · Lexington
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Henderson County averages 11 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 13% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 13.7 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 Henderson County gets about 13.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Henderson County, 4.49 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
3% of occupied homes in Henderson County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 85 times a year in Henderson County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Henderson County covers 520 square miles of western Tennessee, with about 27,980 residents and 12,963 homes. Lexington is the county seat; Scotts Hill, Parker's Crossroads and Darden are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1988.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Henderson County ranks 67 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Henderson County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Henderson County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 11 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 64 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 45th of 95 counties.
On January 17, 2024 the low fell to about -4°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 7 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 3 and end around Mar 30.
Rainfall is about average for Tennessee. The county gets about 58.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 13.7 days of an inch or more (58th of 95). Those downpours cluster in February, March and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.49 inches on September 1, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.16 inches, ending September 2, 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 59 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; Henderson ranks 56th, with 40% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 13% 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.
About 35% 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.
Here 23% 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.
16% 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 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Henderson County homes break down as 57% utility gas, 39% electric, 2% propane and 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Henderson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Carroll gets more pipe-freeze nights than Henderson. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Carroll County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Henderson | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 13% | 16% | 69 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 40% | 41% | 56 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 27% | 58 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 23% | 16% | 18 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 12% | 24 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.3% | 7.8% | 81 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 11/yr | 11/yr | 45 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 14/yr | 58 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 59/yr | 60/yr | 58 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 Henderson 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