Cochran County, Texas · Morton
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Cochran County averages 20 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to February, and 30% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 2.9 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Cochran County gets about 2.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Cochran County, 2.3 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
9% of occupied homes in Cochran County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 42 muggy nights a year, mold in Cochran County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Cochran County covers 775 square miles of northwest Texas, with about 2,550 residents and 1,268 homes. Morton is the county seat; Whiteface and Bledsoe are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1971, half after.
54/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Cochran County ranks 83 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Cochran County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Cochran County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. It averaged 92 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 20 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 232 Texas counties that's 17th.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about 0°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 7 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to February, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 31 and end around Apr 5.
Cochran gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 16.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 2.9 days of an inch or more (206th of 232). Those downpours cluster in July, August and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.3 inches on May 5, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.7 inches, ending August 31, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 87 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
69% of homes in Cochran County predate 1980, above the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 30th of Texas's 232 counties.
In Cochran County 30% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
11% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below 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.
The Census counted 27% 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 35% 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
Cochran County averages 42 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Cochran County homes break down as 50% utility gas, 40% electric, 9% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Cochran County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bailey gets more pipe-freeze nights than Cochran. Bailey County has the oldest housing nearby, with 71% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Cochran | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 30% | 20% | 53 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 69% | 46% | 30 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.6% | 26% | 212 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 13% | 147 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 27% | 17% | 28 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.1% | 6.5% | 80 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 20/yr | 3/yr | 17 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.9/yr | 7.8/yr | 206 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 87/yr | 27/yr | 17 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 42/yr | 129/yr | 226 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 Cochran County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in July, August 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