Terry County, Texas
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 1% of Terry County's mapped land. A shallow water table limits basements on 1%.
33.1% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map, down from 100% a week earlier. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses here since 2016. 75% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1965.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Terry County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 0.7% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 1.5% |
| Septic fields very limited | 17.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.1% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 0.5% |
| Mapped soil | 570,445 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Amarillo | 40% | 0% |
| Patricia | 23% | n/a |
| Midessa | 7% | n/a |
| Tokio | 6% | n/a |
| Arvana | 5% | n/a |
| Posey | 4% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas TX445 (2025-09-05)
What the numbers mean here
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 10.13 in, 7.14 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 17.27 in.
With shrink-swell clay on 1% and a shallow water table on 1% of the land, the soil survey points to neither problem across most of Terry County; conditions still vary lot by lot.
Drought
33.1% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 46 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 32 weeks, most recently on the October 6, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 100% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 33.1% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0.9% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
1 flood losses since 2016, $0 paid. The worst year was 2017, with 1.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 0 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 17.27 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 10.13 in (-7.14) |
| 2025 | 15.67 in (-1.60) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1941: 37.70 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2011: 4.84 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at BROWNFIELD #2 (4 mi away) | 4.8 |
Homes
| Housing units | 4,789 |
| Median year built | 1965 |
| Built before 1980 | 75% |
| Built 2000 or later | 10% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $105,400 |
| Single-family detached | 86% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Cities in Terry County
| City | Expansive clay | High water table | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownfield | 0% | under 1% | 3,808 |
| Meadow | 1% | under 1% | 226 |
| Wellman | 0% | 0% | 104 |
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoakum County, TX | 29 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Hockley County, TX | 30 mi | 7% | 1% |
| Lynn County, TX | 30 mi | 9% | 3% |
| Gaines County, TX | 34 mi | under 1% | under 1% |
| Dawson County, TX | 37 mi | 4% | 2% |
| Cochran County, TX | 41 mi | 1% | 1% |
| Lubbock County, TX | 43 mi | 42% | 4% |
| Garza County, TX | 60 mi | 32% | 2% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 5, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status