Washington County, Texas · Brenham
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Washington County averages 1 night a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 16% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Washington County averages 12.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Washington County spike on heavy-rain days, about 12.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
13% of occupied homes in Washington 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 164 times a year in Washington County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Washington County covers 604 square miles of eastern Texas, with about 36,647 residents and 17,642 homes. The county seat is Brenham, and Burton is the other large town. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1989.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Washington County ranks 149 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Washington County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Texas, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 1 night a year at or below 20°F (159th of 232) and 10 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Hard freezes are uncommon here, about 10 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 8°F on February 16, 2021.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Texas. The county gets about 46.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 12.1 days of an inch or more (69th of 232). Those downpours cluster in April, May and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 8.53 inches on May 27, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 16.49 inches, ending August 28, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Housing
37% of homes in Washington County predate 1980, below the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 163rd of Texas's 232 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 37% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
25% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 10% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Beyond water
Washington County averages 164 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Washington County homes break down as 20% utility gas, 66% electric, 13% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is above the Texas norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Washington County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Washington gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Fayette County has the oldest housing nearby, with 45% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Washington | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 20% | 147 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 37% | 46% | 163 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 37% | 26% | 44 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.9% | 13% | 161 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 17% | 164 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 6.5% | 46 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 1/yr | 3/yr | 159 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 7.8/yr | 69 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 9/yr | 27/yr | 186 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 164/yr | 129/yr | 48 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 Washington County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in April, May and December.
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