Johnson County, Texas · Cleburne
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With 7% of homes built before 1960 and about 3 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Johnson County, part of 10.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Johnson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 10.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Johnson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 5.68 inches, and about 22 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
4% of occupied homes in Johnson County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 137 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
Johnson County covers 725 square miles of eastern Texas, with about 195,597 residents and 70,796 homes. Besides Cleburne, the county seat, the biggest communities are Burleson, Joshua and Venus. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1997.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Johnson County ranks 170 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Johnson County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
For frozen pipes, Johnson County is a typical Texas county, which is still plenty. It averaged 24 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 3 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 94th.
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 -1°F on February 16, 2021.
With only about 24 freezing nights a year, many homes here aren't built for cold, so a single arctic outbreak can burst pipes across the county. The record low in this data was about -1°F, on February 16, 2021.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. Of roughly 39.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 10.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 80th of 232. May, June and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 5.68 inches, October 24, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.91 inches (through October 25, 2015).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 22 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
25% of homes in Johnson County predate 1980, below the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 204th of Texas's 232 counties.
45% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Texas. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 30% 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.
16% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 137 times a year here, close to 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, Johnson County homes break down as 15% utility gas, 80% electric, 4% 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 Johnson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Hood and Parker get more pipe-freeze nights than Johnson. Bosque County has the oldest housing nearby, with 51% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Johnson | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 7% | 20% | 210 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 25% | 46% | 204 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 45% | 26% | 28 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 13% | 77 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 7.5% | 17% | 212 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.3% | 6.5% | 156 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 3/yr | 94 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 7.8/yr | 80 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 22/yr | 27/yr | 135 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 137/yr | 129/yr | 94 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 Johnson County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, June 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