Wise County, Texas · Decatur
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Wise County averages 5 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 11% of its homes predate 1960.
May brings the most downpours to Wise County, part of 9.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Wise County gets about 9.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Wise County, 4.22 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
12% of occupied homes in Wise County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 124 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 75,005 people live in Wise County, 904 square miles in northeast Texas, in roughly 27,530 homes. The county seat is Decatur, and Bridgeport, Aurora and Runaway Bay round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1996.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Wise County ranks 122 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Wise County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Wise County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. It averaged 38 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 5 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 54th.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -5°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 5 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from January, 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 15 and end around Mar 4.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. About 9.8 days a year bring an inch or more (87th of 232), most often in May, out of 37.2 inches of total precipitation. On September 22, 2018, 4.22 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.54 inches, ending November 29, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 36 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
25% of homes in Wise County predate 1980, below the Texas county median of 45.8%, which ranks 203rd of Texas's 232 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 42% 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.
About 32% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 22% 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
About 124 nights a year in Wise County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (133rd of 232 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Wise County homes break down as 12% utility gas, 75% electric, 11% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Wise County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Jack and Montague get more pipe-freeze nights than Wise. Jack County has the oldest housing nearby, with 59% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Wise | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 11% | 20% | 187 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 25% | 46% | 203 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 42% | 26% | 34 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 22% | 13% | 38 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 8.7% | 17% | 198 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 6.5% | 61 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 3/yr | 54 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.8/yr | 7.8/yr | 87 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 36/yr | 27/yr | 75 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 Wise County: freezing from January, heavy rain in April, May 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