Fayette County, Texas · La Grange
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Pipes freeze in Fayette County on about 1 night a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 27% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Fayette County averages 10.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Fayette County spike on heavy-rain days, about 10.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
18% of occupied homes in Fayette County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 168 muggy nights a year, mold in Fayette County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Fayette County covers 950 square miles of eastern Texas, with about 25,042 residents and 13,233 homes. La Grange is the county seat; Schulenburg, Flatonia and Fayetteville are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1984, half after.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Fayette County ranks 72 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Fayette 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 1 night a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 9 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 159th of 232 counties.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about 10°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 3 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 9 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 10°F on February 16, 2021.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. About 10.7 days a year bring an inch or more (79th of 232), most often in May, out of 42.5 inches of total precipitation. On August 27, 2017, 9.97 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 21.64 inches, ending August 28, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Fayette ranks 126th, with 45% of its homes built before 1980.
27% 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.
About 25% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
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.
With 21% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 168 times a year here, above 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 Fayette County it's 11% utility gas, 71% electric, 16% propane and 2% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Fayette County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Fayette gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Lavaca County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Fayette | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 20% | 71 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 46% | 126 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 30% | 26% | 86 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 13% | 127 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 21% | 17% | 67 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 6.5% | 14 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 3/yr | 159 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 7.8/yr | 79 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 9/yr | 27/yr | 186 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 168/yr | 129/yr | 41 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 Fayette County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in April, May and December.
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