Dawson County, Texas · Lamesa
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Dawson County averages 7 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 42% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 3 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Dawson County gets about 3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Dawson County, 3.92 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
4% of occupied homes in Dawson 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 92 times a year in Dawson County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Dawson County covers 900 square miles of central Texas, with about 12,134 residents and 4,903 homes. Lamesa is the county seat; Welch and Los Ybanez are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1963, half after.
58/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Dawson County ranks 59 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dawson County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Dawson County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. From 2015–2024 it averaged 7 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 59 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 38th of 232 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 9 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near 0°F on February 15, 2021.
The freeze season here runs December to February, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 14 and end around Mar 21.
Dawson gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 16.9 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 203rd of 232. June, September and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.92 inches, May 5, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.28 inches, ending May 6, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 55 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
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Dawson ranks 6th, with 80% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 42% 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.
Beyond water
About 92 nights a year in Dawson County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (196th 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, Dawson County homes break down as 62% utility gas, 33% electric, 4% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Dawson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Gaines, Lynn and Terry get more pipe-freeze nights than Dawson. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dawson | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 42% | 20% | 21 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 80% | 46% | 6 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 5% | 26% | 231 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.5% | 13% | 219 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 17% | 100 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4% | 6.5% | 161 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 7/yr | 3/yr | 38 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3/yr | 7.8/yr | 203 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 55/yr | 27/yr | 37 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 92/yr | 129/yr | 196 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 Dawson County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in June, September 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