Refugio County, Texas · Refugio
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Pipes freeze in Refugio County on about 0 nights a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 28% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Refugio County, part of 8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Refugio County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Refugio County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 5.96 inches.
3% of occupied homes in Refugio County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 195 muggy nights a year, mold in Refugio County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 6,707 people live in Refugio County, 770 square miles in southeast Texas, in roughly 3,359 homes. The county seat is Refugio, and Woodsboro, Tivoli and Bayside round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1973.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Refugio County ranks 114 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Refugio County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Refugio County is milder than most of Texas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 4 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 0 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 205th.
With only about 4 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 17°F, on February 15, 2021.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. The county gets about 34.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8 days of an inch or more (110th of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 5.96 inches on August 26, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 10.51 inches (through June 21, 2018).
Housing
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Refugio ranks 52nd, with 60% of its homes built before 1980.
28% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
12% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, close to 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.
With 26% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 195 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 Refugio County it's 14% utility gas, 82% electric, 2% 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 Refugio County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bee and Goliad get more pipe-freeze nights than Refugio. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Refugio | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 28% | 20% | 64 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 60% | 46% | 52 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 26% | 159 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 13% | 139 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 26% | 17% | 38 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 2.9% | 6.5% | 191 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 3/yr | 205 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8/yr | 7.8/yr | 110 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 4/yr | 27/yr | 212 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 195/yr | 129/yr | 15 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 Refugio County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in May, June and September.
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