Shackelford County, Texas · Albany
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Pipes freeze in Shackelford County on about 5 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 40% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Shackelford County, part of 8.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
40% 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.
Shackelford County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.75 inches, and about 36 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
9% of occupied homes in Shackelford County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 115 muggy nights a year, mold in Shackelford County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 3,175 people live in Shackelford County, 914 square miles in central Texas, in roughly 1,575 homes. Besides Albany, the county seat, the biggest community is Moran. Half the homes here were built before 1970, half after.
67/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Shackelford County ranks 8 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Shackelford County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Shackelford County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 5 nights a year at or below 20°F (54th of 232) and 40 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -4°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 10 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 18 and end around Mar 5.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. The county gets about 30.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.1 days of an inch or more (109th of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.75 inches on September 9, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.47 inches, ending September 11, 2020, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 36 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
60% of homes in Shackelford County predate 1980, above the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 51st of Texas's 232 counties.
40% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 115 times a year here, below the Texas county median of 129. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Shackelford County it's 31% utility gas, 59% electric, 8% propane and 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Shackelford County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Haskell, Jones and Stephens get more pipe-freeze nights than Shackelford. Jones County has the oldest housing nearby, with 67% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Shackelford | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 40% | 20% | 25 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 60% | 46% | 51 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 26% | 158 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 13% | 133 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 17% | 97 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.8% | 6.5% | 85 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 3/yr | 54 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.1/yr | 7.8/yr | 109 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 36/yr | 27/yr | 75 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 115/yr | 129/yr | 158 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 Shackelford 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