Hale County, Texas · Plainview
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Hale County averages 16 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 27% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 3.1 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 Hale County gets about 3.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Hale 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 Hale County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 62 muggy nights a year, mold in Hale County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Hale County covers 1,005 square miles of northern Texas, with about 32,131 residents and 13,392 homes. Plainview is the county seat; Abernathy, Seth Ward and Hale Center are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1969, half after.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hale County ranks 94 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hale County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Hale County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. It averaged 87 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 16 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 232 Texas counties that's 23rd.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -3°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 7 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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 1 and end around Apr 6.
Hale gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. About 3.1 days a year bring an inch or more (201st of 232), most often in September, out of 19.1 inches of total precipitation. On May 5, 2015, 2.61 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.52 inches, ending May 7, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 81 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
71% of homes in Hale County predate 1980, above the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 26th of Texas's 232 counties.
In Hale County 27% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
8% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below the Texas county median of 13.4%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Renters occupy 40% 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
Hale County averages 62 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, Hale County homes break down as 60% utility gas, 38% electric, 1% 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 Hale County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Castro, Lamb and Swisher get more pipe-freeze nights than Hale. Floyd County has the oldest housing nearby, with 85% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hale | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 20% | 70 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 71% | 46% | 26 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 8.8% | 26% | 216 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.5% | 13% | 183 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 17% | 99 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.4% | 6.5% | 219 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 16/yr | 3/yr | 23 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.1/yr | 7.8/yr | 201 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 81/yr | 27/yr | 22 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 62/yr | 129/yr | 214 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 Hale County: freezing from December to February, 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