Atchison County, Kansas · Atchison
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Atchison County averages 39 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 42% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 9.7 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Atchison County gets about 9.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 92 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
19% of occupied homes in Atchison County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 59 times a year in Atchison County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 16,208 people live in Atchison County, 431 square miles in northeast Kansas, in roughly 6,817 homes. The county seat is Atchison, and Effingham, Lancaster and Muscotah round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1968.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Atchison County ranks 35 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Atchison County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
For frozen pipes, Atchison County is a typical Kansas county, which is still plenty. It averaged 113 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 39 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 51st.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -19°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 14 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 12.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kansas. About 9.7 days a year bring an inch or more (19th of 105), most often in May, out of 36.1 inches of total precipitation. On September 14, 2016, 4.58 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.93 inches (through September 16, 2016).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 92 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
Kansas's 105 counties range widely in housing age; Atchison ranks 59th, with 72% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 42% built before 1960 to 10% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
Beyond water
Atchison County averages 59 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Atchison County homes break down as 58% utility gas, 21% electric, 17% propane and 2% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Atchison County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Doniphan and Jackson get more pipe-freeze nights than Atchison. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Atchison | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 42% | 48% | 65 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 72% | 74% | 59 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.8% | 11% | 61 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.9% | 5.6% | 42 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 15% | 46 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 17% | 46 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 39/yr | 39/yr | 51 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.7/yr | 6.8/yr | 19 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 92/yr | 97/yr | 64 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 59/yr | 59/yr | 52 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 Atchison County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June and July.
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