Tarrant County, Texas · Fort Worth
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With 13% 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.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 10.3 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Tarrant County gets about 10.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Tarrant County, 4.24 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
1% of occupied homes in Tarrant County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
With 138 muggy nights a year, mold in Tarrant County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 843,257 homes and around 2,167,390 residents, Tarrant County is 865 square miles of eastern Texas. Fort Worth is the county seat; Arlington, Mansfield and North Richland Hills are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1990.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Tarrant County ranks 133 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Tarrant County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Tarrant County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 3 nights a year at or below 20°F (94th of 232) and 24 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -1°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 5 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 24 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 -1°F on February 16, 2021.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. The county gets about 38.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 10.3 days of an inch or more (83rd of 232). Those downpours cluster in April, May and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.24 inches on September 22, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.19 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 21 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
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Tarrant ranks 186th, with 33% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 36% 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.
Renters occupy 41% 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 138 nights a year in Tarrant County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (90th of 232 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Tarrant County homes break down as 31% utility gas, 67% electric, 1% 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 Tarrant County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Denton, Parker and Wise get more pipe-freeze nights than Tarrant. Dallas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 45% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Tarrant | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 13% | 20% | 168 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 33% | 46% | 186 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 36% | 26% | 52 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.8% | 13% | 230 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 7.2% | 17% | 214 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.2% | 6.5% | 223 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 3/yr | 94 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 7.8/yr | 83 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 21/yr | 27/yr | 142 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 138/yr | 129/yr | 90 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 Tarrant 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