Newton County, Texas · Newton
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Newton County averages 1 night a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 12% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 18.3 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Newton County gets about 18.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
9% of occupied homes in Newton 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 146 times a year in Newton County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 12,093 people live in Newton County, 934 square miles in eastern Texas, in roughly 6,492 homes. The county seat is Newton, and Deweyville and South Toledo Bend round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1988.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Newton County ranks 130 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Newton County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Newton County is milder than most of Texas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 1 night a year at or below 20°F (159th of 232) and 17 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
With only about 17 freezing nights a year, many homes here aren't built for cold, so a single arctic outbreak can burst pipes across the county. The record low in this data was about 11°F, on February 16, 2021.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. The county gets about 63.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 18.3 days of an inch or more (4th of 232). Those downpours cluster in January, April and May, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 6.2 inches on August 30, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 15.06 inches (through August 30, 2017).
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Newton ranks 182nd, with 33% of its homes built before 1980.
32% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Texas. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 35% 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 35% 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.
25% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 146 times a year here, above the Texas county median of 129. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Newton County it's 6% utility gas, 84% electric, 8% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Newton County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Sabine gets more pipe-freeze nights than Newton. Orange County has the oldest housing nearby, with 46% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Newton | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 20% | 175 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 33% | 46% | 182 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 32% | 26% | 75 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 35% | 13% | 6 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 25% | 17% | 44 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.6% | 6.5% | 88 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 3/yr | 159 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 18/yr | 7.8/yr | 4 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 17/yr | 27/yr | 160 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 146/yr | 129/yr | 70 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 Newton County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, April and May.
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