Harrison County, Texas · Marshall
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Harrison County averages 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 21% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 17.5 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Harrison County spike on heavy-rain days, about 17.5 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 26 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
4% of occupied homes in Harrison County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 129 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 29,756 homes and around 70,155 residents, Harrison County is 900 square miles of eastern Texas. Marshall is the county seat; Hallsville, Waskom and Scottsville are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1984, half after.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Harrison County ranks 51 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Harrison County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Harrison County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 27 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 126th of 232 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 4 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near 0°F on February 16, 2021.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs midwinter. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 13 and end around Feb 26.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. About 17.5 days a year bring an inch or more (9th of 232), most often in April, out of 55.8 inches of total precipitation. On March 9, 2016, 6.98 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 10.4 inches, ending March 11, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 26 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Harrison ranks 120th, with 45% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 21% built before 1960 to 30% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 25% 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.
Here 19% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 129 times a year here, close to the Texas county median of 129. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Harrison County it's 26% utility gas, 69% electric, 3% 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 Harrison County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Upshur gets more pipe-freeze nights than Harrison. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Gregg County has the oldest housing nearby, with 50% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Harrison | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 20% | 108 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 46% | 120 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 30% | 26% | 90 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 13% | 60 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 17% | 171 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4% | 6.5% | 161 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 126 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 18/yr | 7.8/yr | 9 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 26/yr | 27/yr | 117 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 129/yr | 129/yr | 116 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 Harrison County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in March, April and May.
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