San Patricio County, Texas · Sinton
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San Patricio County averages 0 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 17% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.8 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which San Patricio County gets about 7.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In San Patricio County, 5.71 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
3% of occupied homes in San Patricio County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 202 times a year in San Patricio County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
San Patricio County covers 693 square miles of southeast Texas, with about 70,181 residents and 30,435 homes. Sinton is the county seat; Portland, Ingleside and Mathis are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1982, half after.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate San Patricio County ranks 180 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where San Patricio County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Texas, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 3 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.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 3 nights a year at or below 32°F, and that's exactly why they do damage: pipes in attics, exterior walls and slab-edge plumbing are rarely insulated. The coldest night in the record was about 17°F on February 15, 2021.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. Of roughly 31.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 7.8 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 116th of 232. May, June and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 5.71 inches, June 20, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 9.36 inches, ending June 21, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
48% of homes in San Patricio County predate 1980, close to the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 106th of Texas's 232 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 31% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 9% 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.
Renters occupy 33% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
About 202 nights a year in San Patricio County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (12th of 232 counties). May 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 San Patricio County's occupied homes: 18% utility gas, 78% electric, 3% 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 San Patricio County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bee gets more pipe-freeze nights than San Patricio. Refugio County has the oldest housing nearby, with 60% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | San Patricio | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 17% | 20% | 132 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 48% | 46% | 106 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 31% | 26% | 80 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.2% | 13% | 166 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 17% | 113 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.2% | 6.5% | 185 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 0/yr | 3/yr | 205 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.8/yr | 7.8/yr | 116 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 2/yr | 27/yr | 227 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 202/yr | 129/yr | 12 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 San Patricio 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