Barber County, Kansas · Medicine Lodge
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Pipes freeze in Barber County on about 30 nights a year, mostly November to February. Older homes, 57% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Barber County averages 7.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
57% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Barber County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.25 inches, and about 95 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
19% of occupied homes in Barber County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
With 70 muggy nights a year, mold in Barber County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Barber County covers 1,134 square miles of southern Kansas, with about 4,069 residents and 2,480 homes. The county seat is Medicine Lodge, and Kiowa, Hardtner and Sharon round out the largest towns. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1956.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Barber County ranks 25 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Barber County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Kansas, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 30 nights a year at or below 20°F (81st of 105) and 106 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 12 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -13°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November 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 27 and end around Apr 10.
Rainfall is about average for Kansas. The county gets about 28.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.1 days of an inch or more (48th of 105). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.25 inches on October 9, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.07 inches, ending October 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 95 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Kansas's 105 counties range widely in housing age; Barber ranks 47th, with 74% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 57% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
With 26% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
About 70 nights a year in Barber County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (31st of 105 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Barber County's occupied homes: 67% utility gas, 14% electric, 16% propane and 3% wood. Wood heat is 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 Barber County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Comanche, Kingman, Kiowa and Pratt get more pipe-freeze nights than Barber. Comanche County has the oldest housing nearby, with 84% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Barber | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 57% | 48% | 18 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 74% | 74% | 47 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.6% | 11% | 66 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.2% | 5.6% | 50 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 26% | 15% | 6 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 17% | 48 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 30/yr | 39/yr | 81 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.1/yr | 6.8/yr | 48 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 95/yr | 97/yr | 58 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 70/yr | 59/yr | 31 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 Barber County: freezing from November to February, heavy rain in May, June and September.
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