Lee County, Virginia · Jonesville
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With 31% of homes built before 1960 and about 18 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
February brings the most downpours to Lee County, part of 9.9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
31% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Lee County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.19 inches, and about 79 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
13% of occupied homes in Lee County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Virginia county median of 11.9%.
About 31 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
Lee County covers 435 square miles of southwest Virginia, with about 21,900 residents and 10,851 homes. Jonesville is the county seat; Pennington Gap, Dryden and Rose Hill are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1977, half after.
63/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Lee County ranks 13 of 95 Virginia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lee County ranks highest compared with other Virginia counties.
Lee County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Virginia. From 2015–2024 it averaged 18 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 87 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 28th of 95 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 8 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -11°F on February 20, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November 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 Oct 26 and end around Apr 17.
Rainfall is about average for Virginia. About 9.9 days a year bring an inch or more (49th of 95), most often in February, out of 54.9 inches of total precipitation. On August 18, 2021, 3.19 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.33 inches, ending September 28, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 79 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
Virginia's 95 counties range widely in housing age; Lee ranks 15th, with 55% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 31% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
About 29% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 20% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
21% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
About 31 nights a year in Lee County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (71st of 95 counties). February 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 Lee County's occupied homes: 1% utility gas, 81% electric, 9% propane and 4% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Lee County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Wise gets more pipe-freeze nights than Lee. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Scott County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lee | Virginia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 31% | 20% | 14 of 95 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 55% | 46% | 15 of 95 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 25% | 86 of 95 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 20% | 9.6% | 15 of 95 |
| Vacant homes | 21% | 15% | 22 of 95 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 12% | 44 of 95 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 18/yr | 14/yr | 28 of 95 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.9/yr | 10/yr | 49 of 95 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 79/yr | 77/yr | 37 of 95 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 31/yr | 64/yr | 71 of 95 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Virginia county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Lee County: freezing from November 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