Jackson County, Tennessee · Gainesboro
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Pipes freeze in Jackson County on about 13 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 14% of the stock here, are most at risk.
February brings the most downpours to Jackson County, part of 15.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Jackson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 15.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Jackson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.03 inches, and about 66 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
17% of occupied homes in Jackson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
With 66 muggy nights a year, mold in Jackson County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 5,854 homes and around 12,029 residents, Jackson County is 309 square miles of northern Tennessee. Besides Gainesboro, the county seat, the biggest community is Dodson Branch. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1989.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Jackson County ranks 32 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jackson County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Jackson is on the colder side of Tennessee for pipes. It averaged 71 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 5 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 7.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Tennessee. About 15.1 days a year bring an inch or more (26th of 95), most often in February, out of 58.1 inches of total precipitation. On March 28, 2021, 4.03 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.47 inches (through March 28, 2021).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 66 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
31% of homes in Jackson County predate 1980, below the Tennessee county median of 41.2%, which ranks 80th of Tennessee's 95 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 14% of homes are pre-1960 and 22% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
47% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Here 25% 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 18% 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
Jackson County averages 66 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in February. 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, Jackson County homes break down as 11% utility gas, 72% electric, 11% propane and 6% 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 Jackson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Clay, Macon and Overton get more pipe-freeze nights than Jackson. Overton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 46% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jackson | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 16% | 61 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 31% | 41% | 80 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 27% | 73 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 25% | 16% | 13 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 12% | 13 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 7.8% | 15 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 13/yr | 11/yr | 18 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 14/yr | 26 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 66/yr | 60/yr | 18 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 66/yr | 74/yr | 62 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 Jackson County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, July 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