La Salle County, Texas · Cotulla
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La Salle County averages 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 26% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.9 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
26% 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 La Salle County, 2.91 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
8% of occupied homes in La Salle County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 180 muggy nights a year, mold in La Salle County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 6,839 people live in La Salle County, 1,487 square miles in southern Texas, in roughly 2,271 homes. Cotulla is the county seat; Encinal and Fowlerton are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1984.
43/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate La Salle County ranks 175 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where La Salle County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
La Salle County is milder than most of Texas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 6 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 205th of 232 counties.
With only about 6 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 15°F, on February 16, 2021.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. The county gets about 22 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.9 days of an inch or more (154th of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.91 inches on August 23, 2023. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.61 inches (through September 28, 2017).
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; La Salle ranks 128th, with 45% of its homes built before 1980.
26% 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.
About 26% 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 25% 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.
28% 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 180 times a year here, above 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In La Salle County it's 13% utility gas, 79% electric, 7% 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 La Salle County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Frio gets more pipe-freeze nights than La Salle. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | La Salle | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 26% | 20% | 80 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 46% | 128 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 30% | 26% | 95 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 25% | 13% | 21 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 28% | 17% | 25 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.9% | 6.5% | 94 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 3/yr | 205 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.9/yr | 7.8/yr | 154 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 6/yr | 27/yr | 202 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 180/yr | 129/yr | 28 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 La Salle County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, August 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