Denton County, Texas · Denton
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Denton County averages 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 3% of its homes predate 1960.
May brings the most downpours to Denton County, part of 12.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Denton County gets about 12.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Denton County, 5.02 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 Denton County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 134 muggy nights a year, mold in Denton County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 376,754 homes and around 979,561 residents, Denton County is 879 square miles of northeast Texas. Besides Denton, the county seat, the biggest communities are Lewisville, Flower Mound and Little Elm. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 2003.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Denton County ranks 144 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Denton County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Denton County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 4 nights a year at or below 20°F (68th of 232) and 30 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
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 -1°F on February 16, 2021.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 23 and end around Feb 26.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. Of roughly 41.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 12.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 60th of 232. May, June and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 5.02 inches, September 22, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.63 inches, ending November 29, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 27 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
12% of homes in Denton County predate 1980, below the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 228th of Texas's 232 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 57% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 31% 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.
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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 134 times a year here, close to the Texas county median of 129. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Denton County it's 43% utility gas, 54% electric, 2% 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 Denton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cooke, Grayson and Wise get more pipe-freeze nights than Denton. Cooke County has the oldest housing nearby, with 46% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Denton | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 2.6% | 20% | 227 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 12% | 46% | 228 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 57% | 26% | 10 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.4% | 13% | 227 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 4.3% | 17% | 229 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 2% | 6.5% | 204 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 68 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 7.8/yr | 60 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 27/yr | 27/yr | 112 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 134/yr | 129/yr | 103 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 Denton County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, June 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