Upshur County, Texas · Gilmer
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With 14% 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.
April brings the most downpours to Upshur County, part of 14.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Upshur County spike on heavy-rain days, about 14.5 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Upshur County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 6.12 inches, and about 29 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
9% of occupied homes in Upshur 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 124 times a year in Upshur County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 42,567 people live in Upshur County, 583 square miles in eastern Texas, in roughly 17,519 homes. Gilmer is the county seat; Gladewater, Big Sandy and East Mountain are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1989.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Upshur County ranks 111 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Upshur County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
For frozen pipes, Upshur County is a typical Texas county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 3 nights a year at or below 20°F (94th of 232) and 30 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 4 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -2°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs midwinter. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 13 and the last spring freeze around Feb 26.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. The county gets about 52.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 14.5 days of an inch or more (38th of 232). Those downpours cluster in March, April and May, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 6.12 inches on March 9, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.43 inches (through March 11, 2016).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 29 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
38% of homes in Upshur County predate 1980, below the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 160th of Texas's 232 counties.
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 26% 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.
19% 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 124 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 expectMain heating fuel in Upshur County's occupied homes: 12% utility gas, 78% electric, 7% propane and 3% wood. Wood heat is more common here than in most Texas counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Upshur County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Upshur gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Morris County has the oldest housing nearby, with 59% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Upshur | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 14% | 20% | 162 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 38% | 46% | 160 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 36% | 26% | 53 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 13% | 54 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 17% | 179 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.4% | 6.5% | 76 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 3/yr | 94 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 7.8/yr | 38 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 29/yr | 27/yr | 105 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 124/yr | 129/yr | 133 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 Upshur County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in March, April and May.
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