Collin County, Texas · McKinney
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Collin County averages 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 2% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 13.5 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
2% 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.
In Collin County, 6.35 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
2% of occupied homes in Collin County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 133 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
About 1,163,337 people live in Collin County, 841 square miles in northeast Texas, in roughly 437,396 homes. McKinney is the county seat; Plano, Frisco and Allen are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 2003.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Collin County ranks 142 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Collin County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Collin is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 4 nights a year at or below 20°F (68th of 232) and 28 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 9 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.
Most freezing nights fall from midwinter, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 21 and the last spring freeze around Feb 23.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. Of roughly 44.7 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 13.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 51st of 232. March, May and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 6.35 inches, September 22, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.93 inches (through November 29, 2015).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 25 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
Roughly 10% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Collin among the newer housing stocks of Texas's 232 counties.
58% 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.
32% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Renters occupy 36% 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 133 nights a year in Collin County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (107th 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 Collin County's occupied homes: 47% utility gas, 50% 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 Collin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Grayson gets more pipe-freeze nights than Collin. Dallas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 45% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Collin | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 1.9% | 20% | 230 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 10% | 46% | 230 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 58% | 26% | 9 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.6% | 13% | 231 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 4.7% | 17% | 227 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.9% | 6.5% | 210 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 68 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 7.8/yr | 51 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 25/yr | 27/yr | 123 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 133/yr | 129/yr | 107 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 Collin County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in March, 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