Kleberg County, Texas · Kingsville
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With 27% of homes built before 1960 and about 0 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.8 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 Kleberg County gets about 5.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Kleberg County, 5.29 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
3% of occupied homes in Kleberg County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 218 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 14,012 homes and around 30,579 residents, Kleberg County is 881 square miles of southeast Texas. Kingsville is the county seat; Ricardo and Riviera are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1976, half after.
45/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Kleberg County ranks 161 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Kleberg County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Texas, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 0 nights a year at or below 20°F (205th of 232) and 2 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 2 nights a year at or below 32°F, and that's exactly why they do damage: pipes in attics, exterior walls and slab-edge plumbing are rarely insulated. The coldest night in the record was about 20°F on February 15, 2021.
Kleberg gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. About 5.8 days a year bring an inch or more (157th of 232), most often in May, out of 24.8 inches of total precipitation. On June 20, 2024, 5.29 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.36 inches, ending June 21, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
56% of homes in Kleberg County predate 1980, above the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 66th of Texas's 232 counties.
27% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 8% 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.
Renters occupy 48% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
About 218 nights a year in Kleberg County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (4th of 232 counties). June is the wettest month. 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 Kleberg County's occupied homes: 18% utility gas, 76% electric, 3% 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 Kleberg County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Kleberg gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Brooks County has the oldest housing nearby, with 60% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Kleberg | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 20% | 71 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 56% | 46% | 66 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 26% | 143 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.3% | 13% | 173 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 17% | 125 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.2% | 6.5% | 185 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 3/yr | 205 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.8/yr | 7.8/yr | 157 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 2/yr | 27/yr | 227 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 218/yr | 129/yr | 4 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 Kleberg County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, June and September.
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