Hudspeth County, Texas · Sierra Blanca
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Hudspeth County averages 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 13% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 0.8 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
13% 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 Hudspeth County, 1.85 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
45% of occupied homes in Hudspeth 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 67 times a year in Hudspeth County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 3,403 people live in Hudspeth County, 4,571 square miles in western Texas, in roughly 1,133 homes. Sierra Blanca is the county seat; Fort Hancock, Dell City and Acala are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1983.
30/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Hudspeth County ranks 226 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hudspeth County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Hudspeth is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 4 nights a year at or below 20°F (68th of 232) and 57 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 10 and the last spring freeze around Mar 20.
Hudspeth gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. About 0.8 days a year bring an inch or more (227th of 232), most often in August, out of 9.7 inches of total precipitation. On October 24, 2018, 1.85 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.24 inches (through August 15, 2021).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 57 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
Roughly 45% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Hudspeth near the middle of Texas's 232 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 13% predate 1960 and 26% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
29% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 47% 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.
26% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 67 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 expectMain heating fuel in Hudspeth County's occupied homes: 6% utility gas, 45% electric, 44% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Hudspeth County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Hudspeth gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Culberson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 59% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hudspeth | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 13% | 20% | 170 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 46% | 126 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 26% | 115 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 47% | 13% | 1 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 26% | 17% | 38 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 45% | 6.5% | 1 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 68 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 0.8/yr | 7.8/yr | 227 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 57/yr | 27/yr | 36 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 67/yr | 129/yr | 211 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 Hudspeth County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in July, August and October.
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