Crosby County, Texas · Crosbyton
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Pipes freeze in Crosby County on about 11 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 42% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Crosby County, part of 3.9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
42% 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.
Crosby County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.82 inches, and about 60 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
5% of occupied homes in Crosby 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 85 times a year in Crosby County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 5,041 people live in Crosby County, 900 square miles in northern Texas, in roughly 2,659 homes. Besides Crosbyton, the county seat, the biggest communities are Ralls and Lorenzo. Half the homes here were built before 1964, half after.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Crosby County ranks 43 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Crosby County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Crosby County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. It averaged 66 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 11 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 30th.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -2°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 9 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December 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 Nov 8 and end around Mar 28.
Crosby gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 20.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 3.9 days of an inch or more (189th of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.82 inches on May 5, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.94 inches, ending May 7, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 60 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
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Crosby ranks 5th, with 81% of its homes built before 1980.
42% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
Here 8% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
28% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
About 85 nights a year in Crosby County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (199th of 232 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Crosby County homes break down as 53% utility gas, 41% electric, 5% 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 Crosby County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Floyd and Lubbock get more pipe-freeze nights than Crosby. Floyd County has the oldest housing nearby, with 85% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Crosby | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 42% | 20% | 22 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 81% | 46% | 5 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 6.2% | 26% | 227 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.2% | 13% | 174 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 28% | 17% | 25 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.6% | 6.5% | 145 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 11/yr | 3/yr | 30 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.9/yr | 7.8/yr | 189 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 60/yr | 27/yr | 34 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 85/yr | 129/yr | 199 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 Crosby County: freezing from December to February, 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