Johnson County, Tennessee · Mountain City
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With 20% of homes built before 1960 and about 23 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
February brings the most downpours to Johnson County, part of 9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Johnson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Johnson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.28 inches, and about 94 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
25% of occupied homes in Johnson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
About 3 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
Johnson County covers 298 square miles of northeast Tennessee, with about 18,196 residents and 8,761 homes. Besides Mountain City, the county seat, the biggest community is Butler. The county's median home was built in 1981.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Johnson County ranks 35 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Johnson County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Johnson is on the colder side of Tennessee for pipes. It averaged 103 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 23 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 1st.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 8 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -7°F on February 20, 2015.
The freeze season here runs November to March, 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 Oct 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 22.
Johnson gets fewer downpours than most Tennessee counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 55 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 9 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 88th of 95. February, April and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.28 inches, September 26, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.47 inches (through September 28, 2024).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 94 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
49% of homes in Johnson County predate 1980, above the Tennessee county median of 41.2%, which ranks 21st of Tennessee's 95 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 20% of homes are pre-1960 and 20% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 31% 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.
23% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Tennessee county median of 15.9%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
With 17% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 3 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, Johnson County homes break down as 2% utility gas, 61% electric, 17% propane and 8% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Johnson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Johnson gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Sullivan County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Johnson | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 20% | 16% | 20 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 41% | 21 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 27% | 77 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 23% | 16% | 16 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 12% | 20 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 25% | 7.8% | 5 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 23/yr | 11/yr | 1 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9/yr | 14/yr | 88 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 94/yr | 60/yr | 1 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 3/yr | 74/yr | 95 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 Johnson County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in February, April and October.
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