Weakley County, Tennessee · Dresden
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Weakley County averages 12 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 21% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 15.6 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 Weakley County gets about 15.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Weakley County, 3.24 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
7% of occupied homes in Weakley County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Tennessee county median of 7.8%.
About 91 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
Weakley County covers 580 square miles of northwest Tennessee, with about 33,016 residents and 15,056 homes. Dresden is the county seat; Martin, Greenfield and Gleason are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1977, half after.
77/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Weakley County ranks 2 of 95 Tennessee counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Weakley County ranks highest compared with other Tennessee counties.
Weakley County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Tennessee. From 2015–2024 it averaged 12 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 64 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 31st of 95 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 9 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -3°F on December 23, 2022.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 4 and end around Mar 30.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Tennessee. The county gets about 54.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 15.6 days of an inch or more (15th of 95). Those downpours cluster in February, March and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.24 inches on March 10, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.34 inches, ending August 5, 2023, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 57 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 55% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Weakley among the oldest housing stocks of Tennessee's 95 counties.
21% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
27% 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 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 34% 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
About 91 nights a year in Weakley County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (11th of 95 counties). March is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Weakley County's occupied homes: 27% utility gas, 66% electric, 6% propane and 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 Weakley County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Henry gets more pipe-freeze nights than Weakley. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Obion County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Weakley | Tennessee median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 16% | 17 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 55% | 41% | 10 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 27% | 83 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 16% | 61 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 12% | 54 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 6.6% | 7.8% | 58 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 12/yr | 11/yr | 31 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 14/yr | 15 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 57/yr | 60/yr | 76 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 91/yr | 74/yr | 11 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 Weakley 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