Hall County, Texas · Memphis
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Hall County averages 10 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 51% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 4.9 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Hall County gets about 4.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 62 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
1% of occupied homes in Hall County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 95 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
Hall County covers 883 square miles of northern Texas, with about 2,820 residents and 1,739 homes. Memphis is the county seat; Turkey, Estelline and Lakeview are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1959.
65/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hall County ranks 13 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hall County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Hall is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 10 nights a year at or below 20°F (32nd of 232) and 68 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
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.
The freeze season here runs December to February, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 10 and the last spring freeze around Mar 28.
Hall gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 22.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.9 days of an inch or more (172nd of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.51 inches on May 23, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.64 inches (through July 9, 2015).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 62 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 89% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Hall among the oldest housing stocks of Texas's 232 counties.
In Hall County 51% 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.
The Census counted 33% of homes as vacant, above the Texas county median of 16.6%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 95 times a year here, below the Texas county median of 129. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Hall County homes break down as 63% utility gas, 36% electric, under 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 Hall County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Collingsworth and Donley get more pipe-freeze nights than Hall. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hall | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 51% | 20% | 2 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 89% | 46% | 1 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 4.9% | 26% | 232 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.9% | 13% | 214 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 33% | 17% | 9 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 0.8% | 6.5% | 232 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 10/yr | 3/yr | 32 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.9/yr | 7.8/yr | 172 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 62/yr | 27/yr | 32 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 95/yr | 129/yr | 194 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 Hall County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in May, June and August.
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