Milam County, Texas · Cameron
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Milam County averages 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 21% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 10.8 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Milam County spike on heavy-rain days, about 10.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
13% of occupied homes in Milam County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 149 muggy nights a year, mold in Milam County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 11,641 homes and around 25,567 residents, Milam County is 1,016 square miles of eastern Texas. Cameron is the county seat; Rockdale, Thorndale and Milano are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1983, half after.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Milam County ranks 79 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Milam County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Milam County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 2 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 18 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 126th of 232 counties.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about 3°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 6 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 18 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 3°F on February 16, 2021.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. About 10.8 days a year bring an inch or more (78th of 232), most often in May, out of 39.2 inches of total precipitation. On August 27, 2017, 5.28 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 9.58 inches, ending August 28, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
46% of homes in Milam County predate 1980, close to the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 113th of Texas's 232 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 21% predate 1960 and 30% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
24% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 17% 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 149 nights a year in Milam County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (67th of 232 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Milam County homes break down as 14% utility gas, 69% electric, 11% propane and 2% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Milam County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Milam gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Falls County has the oldest housing nearby, with 60% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Milam | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 20% | 107 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 46% | 113 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 30% | 26% | 94 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 17% | 13% | 72 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 17% | 156 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 6.5% | 49 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 2/yr | 3/yr | 126 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 7.8/yr | 78 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 17/yr | 27/yr | 160 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 149/yr | 129/yr | 67 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 Milam 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