Martin County, Texas · Stanton
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With 24% of homes built before 1960 and about 5 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 2.7 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
24% 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 Martin County, 3.22 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
14% of occupied homes in Martin County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 105 times a year in Martin County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Martin County covers 915 square miles of central Texas, with about 5,218 residents and 2,135 homes. Stanton is the county seat; Ackerly is the next largest community. The county's median home was built in 1974.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Martin County ranks 148 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Martin County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Martin is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 5 nights a year at or below 20°F (54th of 232) and 49 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about 1°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 9 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December to January, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 14 and the last spring freeze around Mar 7.
Martin gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. About 2.7 days a year bring an inch or more (210th of 232), most often in June, out of 14.7 inches of total precipitation. On June 27, 2021, 3.22 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.04 inches (through June 29, 2021).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 45 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
Roughly 60% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Martin among the oldest housing stocks of Texas's 232 counties.
24% 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 24% 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
Martin County averages 105 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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, Martin County homes break down as 27% utility gas, 57% electric, 14% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is above the Texas norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Martin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Andrews, Dawson and Gaines get more pipe-freeze nights than Martin. Dawson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 80% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Martin | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 24% | 20% | 83 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 60% | 46% | 53 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 29% | 26% | 101 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 24% | 13% | 29 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 7.6% | 17% | 210 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 6.5% | 41 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 3/yr | 54 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.7/yr | 7.8/yr | 210 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 45/yr | 27/yr | 46 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 105/yr | 129/yr | 187 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 Martin County: freezing from December to January, 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