What the February 2021 freeze did to Gulf Coast pipes

30.1 How cold did it get in Wharton County?

Cold enough that the weather service titled its summary for record cold. The National Weather Service's Houston/Galveston office logged 13°F at Wharton on the morning of 16 February 2021, and 10°F west of East Bernard the same morning. Houston fell to 13°F and College Station to 5°F, and the office issued the first Wind Chill Warning in its history.

The cold lasted, too. NWS counted 8 days, 23 hours and 23 minutes of winter weather from 11 to 20 February, and an observer just west of El Campo measured 0.4 inch of sleet by 9 a.m. on 15 February. NWS notes that not every report in its table is official.

Place	Low	When
5.6 miles west of East Bernard	10°F	5:40 a.m., 16 Feb
Wharton	13°F	6:55 a.m., 16 Feb
Colorado River at Wharton	13°F	16 Feb
Colorado River near Lane City	14°F	16 Feb
El Campo sites	14°F to 15°F	16 Feb

30.2 What happened to the public water systems?

Many lost pressure or had to boil. A May 2022 TCEQ memo on water system resiliency counts about 2,300 boil-water notices in 212 counties that week, reaching almost 18 million Texans. The Comptroller, citing a University of Houston survey, reports that 49 percent of Texans lost running water for an average of 52 hours and 31 percent had water damage at home.

In Wharton County, TCEQ's list of lifted notices, dated 24 March 2021, shows five systems. The City of Wharton is not among them.

Public water system	Notice lifted	Population served
City of El Campo	20 Feb 2021	11,602
Wharton Boling MWD	25 Feb 2021	800
Pyssens Live Oak Estates Subdivision	25 Feb 2021	156
Turtle Creek Village	25 Feb 2021	105
Isaacson MUD	26 Feb 2021	729

30.3 Should you drip your faucets in a hard freeze?

Only if your water system is not asking you to stop. The Texas Department of Insurance's winter tips, updated 29 April 2025, say to let hot and cold taps drip or run water through them before bed, but to follow your local government's instructions, which may limit use.

In 2021 the City of Wharton did exactly that. Its 18 February press release said heavy use meant the tanks could not refill overnight as usual, asked residents to conserve and to stop running or dripping faucets in the daytime, and said it was not then a boil-water issue. Dripping helps one house; a whole town dripping can empty the storage tanks.

30.4 How do you get pipes ready before the next freeze?

Wrap them, drain what you can and know where the shutoff is. On 12 February 2021 the City of Wharton, expecting lows near 13 degrees, told residents to cover exposed pipes, and said towels, duct tape or another adhesive strap would do if wrapped tightly. TDI's list adds the rest:

1. Wrap pipes in unheated spaces: crawl spaces, attics, garages and outside walls.
2. Disconnect garden hoses and wrap outdoor faucets and pipes.
3. Drain sprinkler systems.
4. Open sink cabinets on outside walls so house heat reaches the pipes.
5. If you leave, turn the water off at the main shutoff and leave the heat on.
6. If a pipe freezes, turn off the water at the shutoff before it thaws.

Raised houses have the most pipe in the cold; see raised and pier-and-beam houses. Attic runs face both the summer heat in the attic water heater chapter and winter cold. The main shutoff is covered in shutting off the water.

30.5 Who pays when a frozen pipe bursts?

Usually a homeowner's policy, and never a flood policy. TDI says homeowner's and renter's policies may cover sudden and accidental water damage from a burst pipe, but might not pay if you did not take steps to protect the pipes, such as keeping the heat on. On the other side, TDI is clear that a flood policy will not cover a burst pipe, and the NFIP form itself excludes freezing and thawing. More on that split is in flood insurance and plumbing damage.

30.6 What made the freeze dangerous inside houses?

Cold and carbon monoxide. The Texas Department of State Health Services mortality report (31 December 2021) confirmed 246 storm-related deaths in 77 counties, one of them in Wharton County. Hypothermia was the leading cause, and the report names outdoor repair work as one risk factor. Nineteen deaths came from carbon monoxide, from generators, grills, heaters and vehicles run in enclosed spaces, and from ice blocking the vents of gas heating equipment.

Ready.gov's winter weather page says to run generators and their fuel outdoors at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages, never to heat a house with a gas stove or oven, and to install battery-backed CO alarms. Running a well pump off a generator means a transfer switch, wired in by a licensed electrician; see generators and the well pump.

Questions readers ask

Why did El Campo boil water but the City of Wharton did not?

TCEQ's list shows El Campo's notice lifted on 20 February 2021, while Wharton is not on it. Wharton's releases show the city asking people to conserve so pressure would hold and a notice would not be needed. Each system's pressure and repairs differed.

Is it safe to thaw a frozen pipe with a space heater?

None of the agency pages cited here give a thawing method. Keep any space heater well away from water on the floor and from anything that burns. If a pipe has split, close the main water shutoff if you can reach it from dry ground, then call a licensed plumber.

Should a water heater be drained before a freeze?

TDI's list does not ask for that. Leaving the house heated and the water off at the main is its advice if you go away.

How low does it have to get before pipes freeze?

We found no published threshold for Gulf Coast houses. In 2021 the city began warning residents days ahead, when the forecast showed lows near 13 degrees.

Who warned Texans about the power grid in 2021?

The state grid is run by ERCOT, which issued a public plea on 14 February 2021 and declared an emergency on 15 February, according to the Comptroller. The City of Wharton sends emergency messages through Smart911.

What this chapter rests on

The temperatures come from the NWS Houston/Galveston event page and its public information statement of 17 Feb 2021; the system counts from TCEQ's May 2022 memo and March 2021 lifted-notice list; city guidance from Wharton's February 2021 press releases; and safety figures from DSHS, TDI and Ready.gov, all checked on 11 Nov 2026. Grid dates are as the Texas Comptroller gives them, not taken from ERCOT or the Public Utility Commission directly.

Notes to chapter 30

1. NWS Houston/Galveston — Valentine's Week Winter Outbreak 2021 · Wharton County lows, duration, sleet, first Wind Chill Warning · checked 11 Nov 2026
2. TCEQ — Recommendations to Improve Public Water System Resiliency (memo, 9 May 2022) · about 2,300 boil notices in 212 counties · checked 11 Nov 2026
3. TCEQ — Public Water Systems with Lifted Boil Water Notices (24 March 2021) · Wharton County systems and lift dates · checked 11 Nov 2026
4. TCEQ — TCEQ's Role in Responding to Emergencies (13 April 2021) · flushing and accredited-lab samples before lifting · checked 11 Nov 2026
5. City of Wharton — Conserve Water Press Release (18 February 2021) · conserve, stop daytime dripping, not a boil-water issue · checked 11 Nov 2026
6. City of Wharton — Severe Winter Weather Press Release (12 February 2021) · cover exposed pipes; forecast near 13 degrees · checked 11 Nov 2026
7. Texas Department of Insurance — Winter storms: Tips for preparing your house and pipes · freeze steps, dripping, burst-pipe coverage · checked 11 Nov 2026
8. Texas Department of State Health Services — February 2021 Winter Storm-Related Deaths (31 December 2021) · 246 deaths, CO causes, county table · checked 11 Nov 2026
9. Texas Comptroller — Winter Storm Uri 2021: The Economic Impact of the Storm (October 2021) · water loss survey figures, ERCOT dates · checked 11 Nov 2026
10. Ready.gov — Winter Weather · generators 20 feet away, no stove heating, CO alarms · checked 11 Nov 2026
11. FEMA — Standard Flood Insurance Policy, Dwelling Form F-122 (October 2021) · freezing and thawing excluded · checked 11 Nov 2026
12. City of Wharton — Smart911 · city mass-notification service · checked 11 Nov 2026