Young County, Texas · Graham
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Young County averages 6 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 27% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.7 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Young County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 42 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Young County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Texas county median of 6.5%.
About 113 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
Young County covers 914 square miles of northern Texas, with about 18,029 residents and 8,545 homes. The county seat is Graham, and Olney, Newcastle and Loving round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1976, half after.
65/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Young County ranks 17 of 232 Texas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Young County ranks highest compared with other Texas counties.
Young County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Texas. It averaged 45 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 6 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 44th.
The longest cold spell was straight 10 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -7°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 January. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 11 and end around Mar 16.
Rainfall is about average for Texas. The county gets about 33.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 9.7 days of an inch or more (89th of 232). Those downpours cluster in April, May and June, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.77 inches on October 23, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.76 inches, ending September 28, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 42 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
Texas's 232 counties range widely in housing age; Young ranks 64th, with 57% of its homes built before 1980.
27% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 27% 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.
Here 7% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 113 times a year here, below the Texas county median of 129. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Young County's occupied homes: 41% utility gas, 51% electric, 7% 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 Young County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Young gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Stephens County has the oldest housing nearby, with 63% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Young | Texas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 20% | 68 of 232 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 57% | 46% | 64 of 232 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 26% | 184 of 232 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.4% | 13% | 187 of 232 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 17% | 182 of 232 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.6% | 6.5% | 102 of 232 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 6/yr | 3/yr | 44 of 232 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.7/yr | 7.8/yr | 89 of 232 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 42/yr | 27/yr | 50 of 232 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 113/yr | 129/yr | 166 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 Young County: freezing from January, heavy rain in April, May and June.
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