Austin has recorded over 20 inches of rain so far in 2026, and we are only in mid-July. Camp Mabry sits at 20.78 inches, Austin-Bergstrom at 21.97 inches, according to National Weather Service data compiled by KXAN. For context, all of 2025 produced just 25.94 inches. We have nearly matched an entire year's worth of rain in seven months. Lake Travis tells the same story in a single number: just over 40% full in June 2025, it sits above 80% full today. And the rain has not arrived gradually. The five wettest days of the year all produced over an inch at a time, with June 15 alone dropping 3.24 inches in a single day. On Central Texas clay soil, that kind of concentrated rainfall does not just create puddles. It creates problems inside the walls of homes that homeowners often do not notice until months later.
What the Soil Is Actually Doing
Central Texas sits on some of the most reactive clay soil in the country. When this soil absorbs water it can swell by 30 to 75 percent in volume, exerting upward force strong enough to lift and damage single-family homes. When it dries out it contracts, pulling away from the foundation and leaving voids beneath the slab. That back-and-forth is one of the leading causes of foundation movement in Texas, and the problem compounds over time because the soil never fully resets. Even when moisture returns, the ground does not go back to exactly where it was before. Each wet and dry cycle leaves a lasting mark.
A home that spent last summer on dry, contracted soil and then absorbed months of above-average rainfall has been through a significant stress cycle in under twelve months. The effects do not always appear immediately. Sometimes it takes weeks or months before the evidence shows up inside the home.
Foundation and Drainage
The most important thing to check right now is what happens to water around the house after a storm. If water pools against the slab and sits there for hours, it is building pressure against the foundation. That pressure, combined with soil that is already saturated from months of above-average rain, accelerates the kind of movement that shows up as cracks and sticking doors.
The soil around a home should slope away from the foundation for at least the first several feet. Over time, landscaping, mulch, and settling soil can reverse that slope without anyone noticing until a wet year makes it obvious.
Gutters and downspouts matter too. A clogged gutter or a downspout that terminates too close to the house can dump hundreds of gallons of roof runoff directly against the slab. The fix is simple but the consequences of ignoring it compound over a wet season like this one.
Inside the home, look for doors or windows that have started sticking when they did not before. That is often the first sign that the frame has shifted just enough to misalign the opening. Diagonal cracks at the corners of door and window frames, or stair-step cracking in exterior brick, are the next stage. A musty smell coming from lower levels that was not there before the wet season started is worth taking seriously as well.
The Garage and Driveway
This is the area that gets overlooked most often. A driveway that slopes toward the garage is not automatically a problem, but it requires proper drainage to redirect water safely away from the slab. Without it, heavy rain runs straight toward the foundation. Walking the exterior of a home after a significant storm and watching where the water goes will reveal drainage patterns that are invisible in dry conditions.
The Roof and Gutters
Heavy rainfall stresses the entire roofing system in ways that dry weather does not reveal. Gutters need to be kept clear and direct runoff well away from the foundation, not just off the roof edge. Flashing at chimneys, vents, and skylights is where water tends to find its way in first. Gutters that have pulled away from the fascia allow water to run behind them and rot the wood underneath without any visible sign from the ground.
Windows, Doors, and Exterior Wood
Exterior caulking and weatherstripping around windows and doors deteriorate faster during wet years because they are being asked to perform continuously rather than occasionally. Water that gets behind window trim or door frames does not drain easily, and the wood damage that results can be significant by the time it becomes visible from inside.
Wood fencing, decks, and exterior trim go through an accelerated moisture cycle in a year like this one. Posts set in concrete are particularly vulnerable. If the concrete around the base of a post is not shedding water away from the wood, rot starts at that joint and works upward. A fence post that looks solid from a distance may already be compromised at the base.
At Skyline, we walk the full perimeter on every inspection. Grading, drainage patterns, downspout placement, driveway slope, roof penetrations, and soil separation at the slab edge, alongside everything happening inside the home. If something is worth flagging we flag it. If it is not, we tell you that too.
If you are buying or selling a home in Austin, San Antonio, New Braunfels, Buda, San Marcos, Dripping Springs, Lockhart, or Wimberley and want an inspector who looks at the whole picture, we would love to work with you.