Anderson County, Kansas · Garnett
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Anderson County averages 27 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 47% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 10.2 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Anderson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 10.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 75 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
31% of occupied homes in Anderson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
About 75 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
With 3,586 homes and around 7,834 residents, Anderson County is 580 square miles of eastern Kansas. Garnett is the county seat; Colony, Greeley and Welda are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1964, half after.
54/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Anderson County ranks 40 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Anderson County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Kansas, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 92 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 27 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 105 Kansas counties that's 88th.
On February 17, 2021 the low fell to about -14°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 13 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 29 and end around Apr 8.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kansas. About 10.2 days a year bring an inch or more (9th of 105), most often in May, out of 40.8 inches of total precipitation. On June 26, 2021, 3.91 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.52 inches, ending April 28, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 75 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 66% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Anderson among the newer housing stocks of Kansas's 105 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 47% of homes are pre-1960 and 10% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
About 24% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Here 7% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
Anderson County averages 75 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Anderson County homes break down as 45% utility gas, 24% electric, 23% propane and 8% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Anderson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Anderson gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Allen County has the oldest housing nearby, with 72% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Anderson | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 47% | 48% | 55 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 66% | 74% | 72 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 10% | 11% | 56 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.2% | 5.6% | 38 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 15% | 77 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 31% | 17% | 11 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 27/yr | 39/yr | 88 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 6.8/yr | 9 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 75/yr | 97/yr | 98 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 75/yr | 59/yr | 17 of 105 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Kansas county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Anderson County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in May, June and August.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology