Wilbarger County, Texas · Vernon
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Wilbarger County averages 7 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 44% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.9 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 Wilbarger County gets about 6.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 47 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
6% of occupied homes in Wilbarger 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 Wilbarger County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 12,616 people live in Wilbarger County, 971 square miles in northern Texas, in roughly 5,845 homes. The county seat is Vernon, and Lockett, Oklaunion and Harrold round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1965.
67/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Wilbarger County ranks 10 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Wilbarger County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Wilbarger is on the colder side of Texas for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 7 nights a year at or below 20°F (38th of 232) and 51 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -4°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 10 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to February. 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 14 and the last spring freeze around Mar 13.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. Of roughly 28.8 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6.9 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 132nd of 232. May, June and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.71 inches, March 29, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.31 inches (through October 9, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 47 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
Roughly 74% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Wilbarger among the oldest housing stocks of Texas's 232 counties.
In Wilbarger County 44% 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 33% 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
Wilbarger County averages 110 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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, Wilbarger County homes break down as 54% utility gas, 40% electric, 6% 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 Wilbarger County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Hardeman gets more pipe-freeze nights than Wilbarger. Hardeman County has the oldest housing nearby, with 77% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Wilbarger | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 44% | 20% | 14 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 74% | 46% | 19 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 8.9% | 26% | 215 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.4% | 13% | 211 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 17% | 91 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.7% | 6.5% | 135 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 7/yr | 3/yr | 38 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.9/yr | 7.8/yr | 132 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 47/yr | 27/yr | 42 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 Wilbarger County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in May, June and September.
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