Winston County, Alabama
USDA's soil survey flags shrink-swell clay on 0% of Winston County's mapped land and a shallow water table under basements on 11%, both below the national shares of 15% and 29%. 1.5% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map.
FEMA's flood data list 7 flood losses here since 2016. 40% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1988.
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 Winston County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.0% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 11.3% |
| Septic fields very limited | 84.5% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.4% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.0% |
| Mapped soil | 404,290 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Sipsey | 30% | n/a |
| Bankhead | 19% | n/a |
| Wynnville | 8% | n/a |
| Nauvoo | 7% | n/a |
| Albertville | 7% | n/a |
| Hartsells | 6% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas AL133 (2025-09-10)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 50.35 in, 9.98 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 60.33 in.
USDA rates 84% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
With shrink-swell clay on 0% and a shallow water table on 11% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Winston County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
1.5% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 24 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 7 weeks, most recently on the May 19, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 1.5% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
7 flood losses since 2016, $84,638 paid. The worst year was 2021, with 7.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 60.33 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 50.35 in (-9.98) |
| 2025 | 55.71 in (-4.62) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 2009: 79.99 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 33.24 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at ADDISON (13 mi away) | 19.4 |
Homes
| Housing units | 13,160 |
| Median year built | 1988 |
| Built before 1980 | 40% |
| Built 2000 or later | 26% |
| Owner-occupied | 76% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $118,900 |
| Single-family detached | 63% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walker County, AL | 25 mi | 0% | 6% |
| Lawrence County, AL | 26 mi | 24% | 39% |
| Cullman County, AL | 28 mi | 0% | 21% |
| Marion County, AL | 29 mi | under 1% | 29% |
| Franklin County, AL | 34 mi | 16% | 31% |
| Morgan County, AL | 36 mi | 16% | 37% |
| Fayette County, AL | 38 mi | 2% | 26% |
| Colbert County, AL | 45 mi | 18% | 17% |
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