Austin County, Texas · Bellville
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Pipes freeze in Austin County on about 1 night a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 16% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Austin County, part of 12.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
16% 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.
Austin County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 8.62 inches.
16% of occupied homes in Austin County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 172 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
With 14,319 homes and around 31,170 residents, Austin County is 646 square miles of eastern Texas. Bellville is the county seat; Sealy, Wallis and San Felipe are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1992.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Austin County ranks 116 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Austin County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Texas, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 1 night a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 8 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 159th of 232 counties.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 8 nights a year at or below 32°F, and that's exactly why they do damage: pipes in attics, exterior walls and slab-edge plumbing are rarely insulated. The coldest night in the record was about 10°F on February 16, 2021.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. Of roughly 47.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 12.7 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 57th of 232. April, May and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 8.62 inches, August 27, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 19.63 inches, ending August 28, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
Roughly 32% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Austin among the newer housing stocks of Texas's 232 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 37% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 31% 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.
22% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Texas county median of 13.4%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
Austin County averages 172 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 Austin County's occupied homes: 18% utility gas, 64% electric, 15% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is above the Texas norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Austin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Austin gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Wharton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 51% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Austin | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 20% | 141 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 32% | 46% | 188 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 37% | 26% | 47 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 22% | 13% | 38 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 17% | 127 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 6.5% | 26 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 3/yr | 159 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 7.8/yr | 57 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 7/yr | 27/yr | 196 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 172/yr | 129/yr | 37 of 232 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Texas county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Austin County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in April, May and October.
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