Knox County, Tennessee · Knoxville
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Knox County averages 8 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 20% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in February. Knox County averages 12.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Knox County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 59 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
2% of occupied homes in Knox County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
About 79 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
Knox County covers 508 square miles of eastern Tennessee, with about 494,148 residents and 218,661 homes. The county seat is Knoxville, and Farragut, Powell and Halls round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
41/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Knox County ranks 75 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Knox County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Tennessee, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 8 nights a year at or below 20°F (81st of 95) and 63 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 6 days below freezing (ending February 2015), and the low bottomed out near 0°F on January 18, 2024.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 8 and end around Mar 30.
Knox gets fewer downpours than most Tennessee counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 55.8 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 12.1 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 75th of 95. February, November and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.73 inches, February 6, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.77 inches, ending February 7, 2020, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 59 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Tennessee's 95 counties range widely in housing age; Knox ranks 38th, with 43% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 20% of homes are pre-1960 and 29% 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 28% 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.
Renters occupy 35% 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 79 times a year here, close to the Tennessee county median of 74. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Knox County it's 32% utility gas, 66% electric, 2% propane and under 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 Knox County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Anderson, Grainger, Jefferson, Sevier and Union get more pipe-freeze nights than Knox. Anderson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Knox | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 20% | 16% | 24 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 43% | 41% | 38 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29% | 27% | 39 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.6% | 16% | 89 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 8% | 12% | 77 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.9% | 7.8% | 92 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 8/yr | 11/yr | 81 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 14/yr | 75 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 59/yr | 60/yr | 58 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 79/yr | 74/yr | 36 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 Knox County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, November 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