Hockley County, Texas · Levelland
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With 23% of homes built before 1960 and about 16 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Hockley County, part of 3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Hockley County spike on heavy-rain days, about 3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Hockley County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.17 inches, and about 79 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
9% of occupied homes in Hockley County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 59 times a year in Hockley County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 9,233 homes and around 21,363 residents, Hockley County is 908 square miles of northwest Texas. The county seat is Levelland, and Sundown, Anton and Ropesville round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1978.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hockley County ranks 128 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hockley County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Hockley is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 16 nights a year at or below 20°F (23rd of 232) and 84 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 7 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about 0°F on February 15, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 2 and the last spring freeze around Mar 31.
Hockley gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 17.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 203rd of 232. May, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.17 inches, May 5, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.48 inches (through May 6, 2015).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 79 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; Hockley ranks 74th, with 54% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 23% built before 1960 to 16% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 30% 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 16% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 59 times a year here, below 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Hockley County homes break down as 47% utility gas, 42% electric, 9% 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 Hockley County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cochran and Lamb get more pipe-freeze nights than Hockley. Lamb County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hockley | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 20% | 95 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 54% | 46% | 74 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 26% | 189 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 13% | 91 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 17% | 140 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.2% | 6.5% | 78 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 16/yr | 3/yr | 23 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3/yr | 7.8/yr | 203 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 79/yr | 27/yr | 23 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 59/yr | 129/yr | 217 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 Hockley County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in May, June and July.
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