Pecos County, Texas · Fort Stockton
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With 18% of homes built before 1960 and about 3 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in October. Pecos County averages 1.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
18% 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.
Pecos County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 1.77 inches, and about 35 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
6% of occupied homes in Pecos County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Texas county median of 6.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 109 times a year in Pecos County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 14,896 people live in Pecos County, 4,764 square miles in western Texas, in roughly 5,897 homes. The county seat is Fort Stockton, and Iraan, Imperial and Coyanosa round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1981, half after.
34/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Pecos County ranks 217 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pecos County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Pecos 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 36 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 4 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near 4°F on February 15, 2021.
Most freezing nights fall from 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 20 and end around Feb 24.
Pecos gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 12.6 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 1.4 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 224th of 232. May, June and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 1.77 inches, October 10, 2022. The worst three-day stretch dropped 2.73 inches, ending October 11, 2022, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 35 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Pecos ranks 101st, with 49% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 18% 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.
Here 20% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
About 109 nights a year in Pecos County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (183rd of 232 counties). June is the wettest month. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Pecos County's occupied homes: 34% utility gas, 59% electric, 6% 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 Pecos County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Pecos gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Ward County has the oldest housing nearby, with 66% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pecos | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 20% | 124 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 46% | 101 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 30% | 26% | 88 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 20% | 13% | 49 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 17% | 178 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 6.2% | 6.5% | 121 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 3/yr | 94 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 1.4/yr | 7.8/yr | 224 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 35/yr | 27/yr | 80 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 109/yr | 129/yr | 183 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 Pecos County: freezing from 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