Rains County, Texas · Emory
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With 6% of homes built before 1960 and about 4 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
April brings the most downpours to Rains County, part of 14.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Rains County spike on heavy-rain days, about 14.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Rains County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 7.36 inches, and about 27 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
17% of occupied homes in Rains 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 128 times a year in Rains County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Rains County covers 229 square miles of eastern Texas, with about 12,775 residents and 5,925 homes. Besides Emory, the county seat, the biggest communities are Point and East Tawakoni. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1996.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Rains County ranks 131 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Rains County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Rains is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 4 nights a year at or below 20°F (68th of 232) and 29 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 8 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -2°F on February 16, 2021.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 17 and the last spring freeze around Feb 26.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. About 14.2 days a year bring an inch or more (44th of 232), most often in April, out of 50.4 inches of total precipitation. On October 24, 2015, 7.36 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 11.78 inches (through October 25, 2015).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 27 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
24% of homes in Rains County predate 1980, below the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 209th of Texas's 232 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 43% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 34% 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.
21% 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
About 128 nights a year in Rains County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (119th of 232 counties). April 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Rains County it's 7% utility gas, 76% electric, 15% 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 Rains County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Rains gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Hopkins County has the oldest housing nearby, with 43% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Rains | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 6.1% | 20% | 218 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 24% | 46% | 209 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 43% | 26% | 32 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 21% | 13% | 45 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 17% | 95 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 6.5% | 22 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 68 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 7.8/yr | 44 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 27/yr | 27/yr | 112 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 128/yr | 129/yr | 119 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 Rains County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in April, May 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