U.S. Drought Monitor + NOAA Climate Normals
Foundation Weather Risk for Houston, TX
The two weather forces that actually move a foundation in Houston, TX — drought drying out clay soil, and freeze-thaw cycles heaving the ground — from real, current public data.
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Current drought
As of Jun 30, 2026
0%
County in severe+ drought
Share of the county, D2 or worse
5
Freezing days
Per year at/below 32°F — frost-heave cycles
What this means if you live in Houston: neither drought nor hard freezing is an aggressive force on foundations here right now: your county isn't in significant drought this week, and your winter stays mild enough that freeze-thaw heaving is limited. That doesn't make a foundation maintenance-free — poor drainage and plumbing leaks move foundations in any climate — but the two big seasonal weather drivers are quiet for you at the moment. What decides how hard these forces hit your specific lot is your soil type — see what actually moves a foundation for how soil, water, and construction interact.
What do the drought categories (D0–D4) mean?
They're the U.S. Drought Monitor's official national scale, released weekly: D0 is "abnormally dry," D1 moderate, D2 severe, D3 extreme, and D4 exceptional drought — the most intense. The percentage above is the share of your whole county sitting in D2 or worse, which is the range where expansive clay soils dry and shrink enough to stress a foundation. It's a real, current reading, not a historical average, so it changes week to week as conditions do.
Drought: U.S. Drought Monitor (NDMC/USDA/NOAA), most recent weekly release for Harris County. Freezing-day counts: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991-2020 Climate Normals. Comparison figures are computed across the metros ClearPick tracks, not a national survey. The clay-shrink mechanism applies specifically to expansive clay soils; a local inspection is the only way to confirm your lot's actual soil and risk.
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