Delta County, Texas · Cooper
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With 28% of homes built before 1960 and about 4 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
April brings the most downpours to Delta County, part of 14.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
28% 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.
Delta County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.59 inches, and about 32 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
17% of occupied homes in Delta County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 123 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 5,438 people live in Delta County, 257 square miles in northeast Texas, in roughly 2,450 homes. The county seat is Cooper, and Pecan Gap is the other large town. Half the homes here were built before 1980, half after.
69/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Delta County ranks 2 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Delta County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Delta County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. From 2015–2024 it averaged 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 34 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 68th of 232 counties.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -3°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 January, 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 12 and end around Feb 28.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. The county gets about 51.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 14.8 days of an inch or more (33rd of 232). Those downpours cluster in April, May and June, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.59 inches on October 24, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 8.44 inches, ending October 25, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 32 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
50% of homes in Delta County predate 1980, above the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 95th of Texas's 232 counties.
28% 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.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 29% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 13% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Beyond water
About 123 nights a year in Delta County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (136th 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Delta County it's 19% utility gas, 64% electric, 16% propane and 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most Texas counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Delta County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Delta gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Delta | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 28% | 20% | 61 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 50% | 46% | 95 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 26% | 153 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 13% | 127 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 17% | 176 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 6.5% | 18 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 68 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 7.8/yr | 33 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 32/yr | 27/yr | 93 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 123/yr | 129/yr | 136 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 Delta County: freezing from January, heavy rain in April, May and June.
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