Reagan County, Texas · Big Lake
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Reagan County averages 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 19% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in September. Reagan County averages 2.8 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Reagan County spike on heavy-rain days, about 2.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 39 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Reagan 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 112 times a year in Reagan County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Reagan County covers 1,175 square miles of central Texas, with about 3,232 residents and 1,336 homes. The county seat is Big Lake. Half the homes here were built before 1982, half after.
41/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Reagan County ranks 185 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Reagan County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Reagan County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. It averaged 41 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 4 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 68th.
The longest cold spell was straight 8 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about 2°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 14 and end around Mar 2.
Reagan gets fewer downpours than most Texas counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 17.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 2.8 days of an inch or more (209th of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.21 inches on April 24, 2019. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.08 inches, ending November 29, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 39 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
44% of homes in Reagan County predate 1980, close to the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 133rd of Texas's 232 counties.
The mix runs from 19% built before 1960 to 17% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
39% 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 18% 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.
With 23% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Reagan County averages 112 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Reagan County homes break down as 33% utility gas, 60% 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 Reagan County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Reagan gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Upton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 63% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Reagan | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 19% | 20% | 119 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 44% | 46% | 133 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 26% | 181 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 13% | 66 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 23% | 17% | 57 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.6% | 6.5% | 102 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 3/yr | 68 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.8/yr | 7.8/yr | 209 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 39/yr | 27/yr | 64 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 112/yr | 129/yr | 172 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 Reagan County: freezing from January, heavy rain in May, September 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