Humphreys County, Tennessee · Waverly
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Pipes freeze in Humphreys County on about 13 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 18% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 13.2 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 Humphreys County gets about 13.2 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 60 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Humphreys County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
About 81 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 8,892 homes and around 19,214 residents, Humphreys County is 531 square miles of western Tennessee. The county seat is Waverly, and New Johnsonville and McEwen round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1978.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Humphreys County ranks 23 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Humphreys County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Humphreys is on the colder side of Tennessee for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 13 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 65 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 18th of 95 counties.
On January 17, 2024 the low fell to about -3°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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 3 and the last spring freeze around Mar 30.
Humphreys gets fewer downpours than most Tennessee counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 54.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 13.2 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 67th of 95. February, March and April see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.28 inches, September 1, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.55 inches (through September 2, 2017).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 60 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
53% of homes in Humphreys County predate 1980, above the Tennessee county median of 41.2%, which ranks 14th of Tennessee's 95 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 18% predate 1960 and 21% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
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 17% 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.
The Census counted 19% of homes as vacant, above the Tennessee county median of 11.9%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 81 times a year here, close to 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 Humphreys County it's 50% utility gas, 45% electric, 4% propane and 2% 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 Humphreys County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Dickson gets more pipe-freeze nights than Humphreys. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Humphreys | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 16% | 36 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 53% | 41% | 14 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 27% | 75 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 17% | 16% | 44 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 19% | 12% | 11 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.3% | 7.8% | 69 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 13/yr | 11/yr | 18 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 14/yr | 67 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 60/yr | 60/yr | 48 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 81/yr | 74/yr | 29 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 Humphreys County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, March and April.
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