Dimmit County, Texas · Carrizo Springs
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Dimmit County averages 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 18% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 4.8 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 Dimmit County gets about 4.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Dimmit County, 2.61 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
1% of occupied homes in Dimmit County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 176 muggy nights a year, mold in Dimmit County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 4,023 homes and around 8,380 residents, Dimmit County is 1,329 square miles of southern Texas. Besides Carrizo Springs, the county seat, the biggest communities are Carrizo Hill, Big Wells and Asherton. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
35/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Dimmit County ranks 208 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dimmit County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Texas, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 8 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 205th of 232 counties.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 8 nights a year at or below 32°F, and that's exactly why they do damage: pipes in attics, exterior walls and slab-edge plumbing are rarely insulated. The coldest night in the record was about 16°F on February 16, 2021.
Dimmit gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. About 4.8 days a year bring an inch or more (176th of 232), most often in September, out of 18.9 inches of total precipitation. On June 20, 2024, 2.61 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.08 inches, ending September 28, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
43% of homes in Dimmit County predate 1980, close to the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 139th of Texas's 232 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 34% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 23% 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 24% 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.
With 26% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Renters occupy 34% 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
Dimmit County averages 176 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Dimmit County homes break down as 6% utility gas, 93% electric, 1% 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 Dimmit County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Frio and Zavala get more pipe-freeze nights than Dimmit. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Zavala County has the oldest housing nearby, with 51% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dimmit | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 20% | 123 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 43% | 46% | 139 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 34% | 26% | 61 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 13% | 26 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 26% | 17% | 43 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.3% | 6.5% | 221 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 3/yr | 205 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.8/yr | 7.8/yr | 176 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 8/yr | 27/yr | 192 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 176/yr | 129/yr | 34 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 Dimmit County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, August 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