Lee County, Texas · Giddings
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With 15% of homes built before 1960 and about 1 hard-freeze night a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Lee County, part of 12.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
15% 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.
Lee County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 9.3 inches.
15% of occupied homes in Lee County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 158 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
Lee County covers 629 square miles of eastern Texas, with about 17,971 residents and 7,981 homes. Giddings is the county seat; Lexington and Dime Box are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1992.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Lee County ranks 156 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lee County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Texas, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 1 night a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 13 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 159th of 232 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 4 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about 6°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 13 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 6°F on February 16, 2021.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. About 12.1 days a year bring an inch or more (69th of 232), most often in May, out of 43.1 inches of total precipitation. On August 27, 2017, 9.3 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 18.21 inches, ending August 28, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Lee ranks 191st, with 31% of its homes built before 1980.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 36% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 33% 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 22% 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
About 158 nights a year in Lee County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (54th of 232 counties). May is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Lee County's occupied homes: 14% utility gas, 69% electric, 15% 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 Lee County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Milam and Williamson get more pipe-freeze nights than Lee. Milam County has the oldest housing nearby, with 46% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lee | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 20% | 153 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 31% | 46% | 191 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 36% | 26% | 55 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 22% | 13% | 40 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 17% | 160 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 6.5% | 31 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 3/yr | 159 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 7.8/yr | 69 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 13/yr | 27/yr | 171 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 158/yr | 129/yr | 54 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 Lee County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in April, May and August.
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