Monroe County, Tennessee · Madisonville
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Monroe County averages 8 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 11% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.1 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 Monroe County gets about 12.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Monroe County, 3.69 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
10% of occupied homes in Monroe County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
About 61 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
Monroe County covers 636 square miles of southeast Tennessee, with about 47,695 residents and 21,764 homes. Madisonville is the county seat; Sweetwater, Vonore and Tellico Plains are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1991.
17/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Lower Monroe County ranks 95 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Monroe 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 68 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 4 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in December 2022. The coldest night reached about 2°F on February 20, 2015. 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 2 and end around Apr 5.
Monroe gets fewer downpours than most Tennessee counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 59.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 12.1 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 75th of 95. February, October and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.69 inches, February 6, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.1 inches, ending February 7, 2020, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 65 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
Roughly 34% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Monroe among the newer housing stocks of Tennessee's 95 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 34% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
32% 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 22% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 61 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Monroe County it's 10% utility gas, 79% electric, 6% propane and 4% wood. Wood heat is above the Tennessee norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Monroe County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Monroe gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. McMinn County has the oldest housing nearby, with 46% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Monroe | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 11% | 16% | 80 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 34% | 41% | 75 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 34% | 27% | 20 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 22% | 16% | 24 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 9.4% | 12% | 64 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.8% | 7.8% | 41 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 | 65/yr | 60/yr | 24 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 61/yr | 74/yr | 71 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 Monroe County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, October 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