Bell County, Texas · Belton
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Pipes freeze in Bell County on about 2 nights a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 8% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 8.3 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Bell County gets about 8.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 20 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
2% of occupied homes in Bell County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 145 muggy nights a year, mold in Bell County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 155,018 homes and around 386,897 residents, Bell County is 1,054 square miles of eastern Texas. The county seat is Belton, and Killeen, Temple and Harker Heights round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1996.
39/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Bell County ranks 195 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Bell County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
For frozen pipes, Bell County is a typical Texas county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 21 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 126th of 232 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 7 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about 1°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
With only about 21 freezing nights a year, many homes here aren't built for cold, so a single arctic outbreak can burst pipes across the county. The record low in this data was about 1°F, on February 16, 2021.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. Of roughly 33.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 8.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 108th of 232. April, May and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 5.65 inches, October 24, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.45 inches (through October 25, 2015).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 20 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Bell ranks 198th, with 28% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 44% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
About 28% 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.
Renters occupy 44% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 145 times a year here, above the Texas county median of 129. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Bell County it's 10% utility gas, 86% electric, 2% propane and under 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 Bell County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Coryell gets more pipe-freeze nights than Bell. Falls County has the oldest housing nearby, with 60% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Bell | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 8.1% | 20% | 201 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 28% | 46% | 198 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 44% | 26% | 30 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6% | 13% | 198 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 8.2% | 17% | 203 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 2% | 6.5% | 204 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 126 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.3/yr | 7.8/yr | 108 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 20/yr | 27/yr | 149 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 145/yr | 129/yr | 73 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 Bell County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in April, May and August.
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