Ochiltree County, Texas · Perryton
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Pipes freeze in Ochiltree County on about 24 nights a year, mostly November to February. Older homes, 14% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 4.6 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Ochiltree County gets about 4.6 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 and, with about 96 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
3% of occupied homes in Ochiltree County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 64 muggy nights a year, mold in Ochiltree County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 4,345 homes and around 9,786 residents, Ochiltree County is 918 square miles of northern Texas. The county seat is Perryton, and Waka and Farnsworth round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1976.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Ochiltree County ranks 173 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Ochiltree County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Ochiltree is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. It averaged 103 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 24 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 232 Texas counties that's 10th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 10 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -12°F on February 15, 2021.
Most freezing nights fall from November to February, 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 1 and the last spring freeze around Apr 8.
Ochiltree gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 22.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.6 days of an inch or more (181st of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.32 inches on October 22, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.5 inches (through October 23, 2015).
About 96 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
57% of homes in Ochiltree County predate 1980, above the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 63rd of Texas's 232 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 14% of homes are pre-1960 and 18% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 25% 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.
16% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Texas county median of 13.4%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
Ochiltree County averages 64 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Ochiltree County homes break down as 66% utility gas, 28% electric, 3% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Ochiltree County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Every neighboring county gets more pipe-freeze nights than Ochiltree. Hansford County has the oldest housing nearby, with 72% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Ochiltree | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 20% | 165 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 57% | 46% | 63 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 26% | 171 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 13% | 79 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 17% | 127 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.4% | 6.5% | 182 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 24/yr | 3/yr | 10 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.6/yr | 7.8/yr | 181 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 96/yr | 27/yr | 9 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 64/yr | 129/yr | 212 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 Ochiltree County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in May, June and July.
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