Lowndes County, Alabama
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 55% of Lowndes County's mapped land, a higher share than 93% of US counties and the highest of 67 Alabama counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 41%.
28.4% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 63.7% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 2 flood losses here since 2016. 36% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1991.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Lowndes County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 55.4% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 41.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 7.3% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 55.4% |
| Mapped soil | 463,770 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sumter | 16% | n/a |
| Leeper | 14% | n/a |
| Hannon | 11% | n/a |
| Brantley | 9% | n/a |
| Oktibbeha | 6% | n/a |
| Searcy | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AL085 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 7.3% by land area here, and 55% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 55% of the mapped land.
Clay shrinks as it dries: 28.4% of the county is in drought on the latest map, and 55% of Lowndes County's mapped land has shrink-swell clay.
On 41% of Lowndes County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 40.56 in, 12.68 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 53.24 in.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
28.4% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 42 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 21 weeks, most recently on the May 26, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 28.4% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
2 flood losses since 2016, $5,282 paid. The worst year was 2024, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 53.24 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 40.56 in (-12.68) |
| 2025 | 48.08 in (-5.16) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1975: 76.92 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1954: 26.74 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at MONTGOMERY AP (18 mi away) | 16.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,847 |
| Median year built | 1991 |
| Built before 1980 | 36% |
| Built 2000 or later | 29% |
| Owner-occupied | 78% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $86,300 |
| Single-family detached | 54% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, AL | 26 mi | 53% | 51% |
| Autauga County, AL | 27 mi | under 1% | 27% |
| Butler County, AL | 27 mi | 14% | 30% |
| Dallas County, AL | 30 mi | 22% | 51% |
| Crenshaw County, AL | 35 mi | 10% | 32% |
| Wilcox County, AL | 40 mi | 33% | 41% |
| Elmore County, AL | 43 mi | 2% | 30% |
| Pike County, AL | 48 mi | 4% | 26% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 10, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status