Lubbock County, Texas · Lubbock
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With 17% of homes built before 1960 and about 12 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in September. Lubbock County averages 3.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
17% 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.
Lubbock County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.27 inches, and about 68 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
2% of occupied homes in Lubbock County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 76 times a year in Lubbock County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 318,884 people live in Lubbock County, 896 square miles in northern Texas, in roughly 139,344 homes. The county seat is Lubbock, and Wolfforth, Slaton and Shallowater round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
45/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Lubbock County ranks 162 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lubbock County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Lubbock County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 12 nights a year at or below 20°F (29th of 232) and 73 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 7 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near 0°F on February 15, 2021.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 4 and end around Mar 29.
Lubbock gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 18.8 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 3.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 193rd of 232. May, June and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.27 inches, May 5, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.96 inches, ending May 7, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 68 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Lubbock ranks 132nd, with 44% of its homes built before 1980.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 33% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
About 23% 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.
Renters occupy 45% 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
Lubbock County averages 76 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 Lubbock County it's 44% utility gas, 53% electric, 2% 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 Lubbock County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Hale and Hockley get more pipe-freeze nights than Lubbock. Crosby County has the oldest housing nearby, with 81% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lubbock | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 17% | 20% | 135 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 44% | 46% | 132 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 33% | 26% | 68 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.7% | 13% | 210 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 9.4% | 17% | 196 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.8% | 6.5% | 212 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 12/yr | 3/yr | 29 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.6/yr | 7.8/yr | 193 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 68/yr | 27/yr | 29 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 76/yr | 129/yr | 204 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 Lubbock County: freezing from December to February, 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