Brooks County, Texas · Falfurrias
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Pipes freeze in Brooks County on about 0 nights a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 41% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Brooks County averages 6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Brooks County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
4% of occupied homes in Brooks County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 207 times a year in Brooks County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 6,943 people live in Brooks County, 943 square miles in southern Texas, in roughly 3,884 homes. The county seat is Falfurrias, and Airport Road Addition, Encino and Cantu Addition round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1970, half after.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Brooks County ranks 101 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Brooks County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Texas, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 0 nights a year at or below 20°F (205th of 232) and 3 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 3 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 20°F on February 16, 2021.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. Of roughly 23.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 149th of 232. May, June and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4 inches, June 20, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.01 inches, ending June 22, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
Roughly 60% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Brooks among the oldest housing stocks of Texas's 232 counties.
Before 1960 is when 41% 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.
The Census counted 23% of homes as vacant, above the Texas county median of 16.6%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Renters occupy 47% 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
About 207 nights a year in Brooks County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (8th of 232 counties). May 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 Brooks County's occupied homes: 35% utility gas, 57% electric, 4% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Brooks County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Brooks gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Brooks | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 20% | 23 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 60% | 46% | 50 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 26% | 160 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.6% | 13% | 194 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 23% | 17% | 54 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.8% | 6.5% | 173 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 3/yr | 205 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6/yr | 7.8/yr | 149 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 3/yr | 27/yr | 218 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 207/yr | 129/yr | 8 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 Brooks County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, June and September.
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