Galveston County, Texas · Galveston
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Galveston County averages 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 12% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 15.8 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
12% 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.
In Galveston County, 8.82 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 Galveston County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 201 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
With 161,868 homes and around 358,990 residents, Galveston County is 379 square miles of southeast Texas. The county seat is Galveston, and League City, Texas City and Friendswood round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1990.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Galveston County ranks 154 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Galveston County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Galveston County is milder than most of Texas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. 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 3 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 205th of 232 counties.
With only about 3 freezing nights a year, many homes here aren't built for cold, so a single arctic outbreak can burst pipes across the county. The record low in this data was about 18°F, on February 16, 2021.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. The county gets about 57.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 15.8 days of an inch or more (25th of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 8.82 inches on August 27, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 23.85 inches (through August 29, 2017).
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Galveston ranks 168th, with 36% of its homes built before 1980.
38% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Texas. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
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.
Renters occupy 32% 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
Galveston County averages 201 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Galveston County's occupied homes: 46% utility gas, 52% electric, 2% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Galveston County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Harris gets more pipe-freeze nights than Galveston. Harris County has the oldest housing nearby, with 37% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Galveston | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 20% | 174 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 36% | 46% | 168 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 38% | 26% | 40 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.7% | 13% | 218 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 17% | 155 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.9% | 6.5% | 208 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 3/yr | 205 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 7.8/yr | 25 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 3/yr | 27/yr | 218 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 201/yr | 129/yr | 13 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 Galveston County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, June 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