McCulloch County, Texas · Brady
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McCulloch County averages 3 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 37% of its homes predate 1960.
May brings the most downpours to McCulloch County, part of 5.4 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which McCulloch County gets about 5.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In McCulloch County, 3.38 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
15% of occupied homes in McCulloch County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 127 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
McCulloch County covers 1,066 square miles of central Texas, with about 7,514 residents and 4,219 homes. Brady is the county seat; Rochelle and Melvin are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1971, half after.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated McCulloch County ranks 75 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where McCulloch County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in McCulloch County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 3 nights a year at or below 20°F (94th of 232) and 28 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about 4°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 7 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs midwinter, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 26 and end around Feb 24.
McCulloch gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 25.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.4 days of an inch or more (164th of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.38 inches on September 29, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.27 inches, ending October 17, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 26 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
64% of homes in McCulloch County predate 1980, above the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 44th of Texas's 232 counties.
37% 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.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 23% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 7% 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.
With 22% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Renters occupy 33% 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
McCulloch County averages 127 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In McCulloch County it's 24% utility gas, 60% electric, 12% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Texas counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across McCulloch County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Brown and Coleman get more pipe-freeze nights than McCulloch. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Coleman County has the oldest housing nearby, with 66% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | McCulloch | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 37% | 20% | 33 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 64% | 46% | 44 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 26% | 199 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.1% | 13% | 188 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 22% | 17% | 65 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 6.5% | 29 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 3/yr | 94 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.4/yr | 7.8/yr | 164 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 26/yr | 27/yr | 117 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 127/yr | 129/yr | 124 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 McCulloch County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, September 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