Obion County, Tennessee · Union City
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Obion County averages 12 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 27% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 15.2 times a year here, most often in March. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Obion County gets about 15.2 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 54 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
7% of occupied homes in Obion County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
About 93 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
Obion County covers 545 square miles of northwest Tennessee, with about 30,453 residents and 14,326 homes. Union City is the county seat; South Fulton, Troy and Obion are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1975.
79/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Obion County ranks 1 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Obion County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Obion is on the colder side of Tennessee for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 12 nights a year at or below 20°F (31st of 95) and 63 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On December 23, 2022 the low fell to about -3°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 9 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 4 and the last spring freeze around Mar 30.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Tennessee. Of roughly 56 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 15.2 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 23rd of 95. February, March and December see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.63 inches, March 10, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.54 inches (through August 5, 2023).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 54 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 58% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Obion among the oldest housing stocks of Tennessee's 95 counties.
In Obion County 27% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
About 25% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Here 12% 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.
Renters occupy 32% 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
Obion County averages 93 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in March. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Obion County's occupied homes: 37% utility gas, 55% electric, 7% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Obion County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Obion gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Lake County has the oldest housing nearby, with 59% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Obion | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 16% | 7 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 58% | 41% | 2 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 27% | 93 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 16% | 59 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 12% | 43 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.1% | 7.8% | 56 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 12/yr | 11/yr | 31 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 14/yr | 23 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 54/yr | 60/yr | 86 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 93/yr | 74/yr | 10 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 Obion County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in February, March 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