Fort Worth's weather works on siding all year. The Dallas/Fort Worth weather station records an average July high of 95.6°F and about 20 days a year at or above 100°F, and about 29 days a year when the low drops to 32°F or below. Vinyl expands in the heat and contracts in the cold, so panels that are nailed too tight buckle, and old panels turn brittle and crack.
Rain arrives in bursts. The station records about 37 inches of precipitation a year, with May the wettest month at 4.78 inches and October next at 4.37 inches. Wind-driven rain finds gaps at corners, window trim and the bottom edge of panels, and a small gap lets water into the wall.
Fort Worth's housing is both new and old. Census 2024 American Community Survey figures show about 49% of occupied homes were built in 2000 or later, and about 31% were built before 1980, including about 14% between 1940 and 1959 and about 12% between 1960 and 1979. About 68% of occupied homes are single-family detached houses, so the siding is the home's main protection from the weather. Siding that has hung on a wall for decades has been through the most heat cycles, and it is the siding most likely to be brittle, faded or no longer made.