Taylor County, Texas · Abilene
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Pipes freeze in Taylor County on about 5 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 33% of the stock here, are most at risk.
September brings the most downpours to Taylor County, part of 6.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Taylor County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Taylor County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.26 inches, and about 38 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
3% of occupied homes in Taylor 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 110 times a year in Taylor County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 145,863 people live in Taylor County, 916 square miles in central Texas, in roughly 62,198 homes. The county seat is Abilene, and Potosi, Merkel and Tuscola round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1978.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Taylor County ranks 47 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Taylor County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Taylor is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 5 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 42 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 54th of 232 counties.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -1°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 9 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs January, 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 14 and the last spring freeze around Mar 16.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. The county gets about 27.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.3 days of an inch or more (138th of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.26 inches on September 3, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.12 inches (through September 4, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 38 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; Taylor ranks 85th, with 53% of its homes built before 1980.
33% 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.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 25% 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 40% 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 110 nights a year in Taylor County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (180th of 232 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 Taylor County it's 41% utility gas, 56% 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 Taylor County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Jones gets more pipe-freeze nights than Taylor. Runnels County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Taylor | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 33% | 20% | 44 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 53% | 46% | 85 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 26% | 145 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.8% | 13% | 209 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 17% | 171 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.1% | 6.5% | 188 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 3/yr | 54 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.3/yr | 7.8/yr | 138 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 38/yr | 27/yr | 71 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 110/yr | 129/yr | 180 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 Taylor 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