Caldwell County, Texas · Lockhart
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With 16% of homes built before 1960 and about 1 hard-freeze night a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Caldwell County averages 9.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
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.
Caldwell County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 7.37 inches.
7% of occupied homes in Caldwell County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 161 muggy nights a year, mold in Caldwell County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Caldwell County covers 545 square miles of eastern Texas, with about 48,669 residents and 17,582 homes. Lockhart is the county seat; Luling and Martindale are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1991.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Caldwell County ranks 151 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Caldwell 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 1 night a year at or below 20°F (159th of 232) and 12 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about 11°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 3 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 12 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 11°F on February 16, 2021.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. About 9.6 days a year bring an inch or more (91st of 232), most often in May, out of 34.4 inches of total precipitation. On August 27, 2017, 7.37 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 13.65 inches, ending August 28, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
34% of homes in Caldwell County predate 1980, below the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 174th of Texas's 232 counties.
38% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Texas. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 28% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
25% 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
About 161 nights a year in Caldwell County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (49th 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Caldwell County homes break down as 15% utility gas, 76% electric, 7% 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 Caldwell County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Caldwell gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Gonzales County has the oldest housing nearby, with 46% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Caldwell | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 20% | 139 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 34% | 46% | 174 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 38% | 26% | 43 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 25% | 13% | 22 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 5.3% | 17% | 225 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.3% | 6.5% | 108 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 3/yr | 159 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.6/yr | 7.8/yr | 91 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 11/yr | 27/yr | 181 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 161/yr | 129/yr | 49 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 Caldwell 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