Wichita County, Texas · Wichita Falls
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Pipes freeze in Wichita County on about 7 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 31% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Wichita County, part of 8.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Wichita County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Wichita County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.8 inches, and about 47 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
2% of occupied homes in Wichita County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 112 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
About 129,996 people live in Wichita County, 628 square miles in northern Texas, in roughly 55,750 homes. The county seat is Wichita Falls, and Burkburnett, Iowa Park and Electra round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1972.
67/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Wichita County ranks 9 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Wichita County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Wichita is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. It averaged 51 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 7 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 38th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 10 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -6°F on February 16, 2021.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 10 and the last spring freeze around Mar 14.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. The county gets about 32.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.8 days of an inch or more (101st of 232). Those downpours cluster in May, June and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.8 inches on May 20, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.79 inches (through May 8, 2015).
About 47 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
Roughly 63% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Wichita among the oldest housing stocks of Texas's 232 counties.
In Wichita County 31% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
Renters occupy 39% 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 112 nights a year in Wichita County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (172nd 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Wichita County homes break down as 42% utility gas, 55% electric, 2% 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 Wichita County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Wichita gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Wilbarger County has the oldest housing nearby, with 74% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Wichita | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 31% | 20% | 47 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 63% | 46% | 47 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 26% | 190 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.8% | 13% | 216 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 17% | 167 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 2.3% | 6.5% | 200 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 7/yr | 3/yr | 38 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.8/yr | 7.8/yr | 101 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 47/yr | 27/yr | 42 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 112/yr | 129/yr | 172 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 Wichita County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in May, June 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