Somervell County, Texas · Glen Rose
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With 15% of homes built before 1960 and about 3 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Somervell County, part of 12.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Somervell County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Somervell County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 5.82 inches, and about 26 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
10% of occupied homes in Somervell 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 135 times a year in Somervell County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 9,691 people live in Somervell County, 186 square miles in eastern Texas, in roughly 4,017 homes. Glen Rose is the county seat. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1995.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Somervell County ranks 99 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Somervell County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
For frozen pipes, Somervell County is a typical Texas county, which is still plenty. It averaged 28 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 3 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 94th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 4 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 22 and the last spring freeze around Feb 26.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. About 12.7 days a year bring an inch or more (57th of 232), most often in May, out of 40.6 inches of total precipitation. On October 24, 2015, 5.82 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 9.24 inches (through October 25, 2015).
About 26 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
28% of homes in Somervell County predate 1980, below the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 197th of Texas's 232 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 41% 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 31% 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.
23% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 135 times a year here, close to the Texas county median of 129. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Somervell County homes break down as 7% utility gas, 83% electric, 9% propane and under 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 Somervell County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Erath and Hood get more pipe-freeze nights than Somervell. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Bosque County has the oldest housing nearby, with 51% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Somervell | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 20% | 156 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 28% | 46% | 197 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 41% | 26% | 37 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 23% | 13% | 33 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 7.6% | 17% | 210 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.6% | 6.5% | 72 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 3/yr | 94 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 7.8/yr | 57 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 26/yr | 27/yr | 117 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 135/yr | 129/yr | 101 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 Somervell 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