Bourbon County, Kansas · Fort Scott
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Bourbon County averages 23 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 52% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 10.8 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
52% 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.
In Bourbon County, 4.42 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
18% of occupied homes in Bourbon County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
About 79 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
Bourbon County covers 635 square miles of southeast Kansas, with about 14,394 residents and 6,756 homes. Besides Fort Scott, the county seat, the biggest communities are Bronson, Uniontown and Mapleton. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1957.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Bourbon County ranks 18 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Bourbon County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Bourbon County is milder than most of Kansas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 23 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 87 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 99th of 105 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 14 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -13°F on February 16, 2021.
The freeze season here runs December to February, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 1 and the last spring freeze around Apr 7.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kansas. Of roughly 42.7 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 10.8 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 7th of 105. May, June and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.42 inches, April 28, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.24 inches (through April 28, 2024).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 72 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; Bourbon ranks 55th, with 73% of its homes built before 1980.
52% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
8% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Kansas county median of 5.6%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
Bourbon County averages 79 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Bourbon County it's 51% utility gas, 31% electric, 13% propane and 5% 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 Bourbon County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Allen and Linn get more pipe-freeze nights than Bourbon. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Bourbon | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 52% | 48% | 37 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 73% | 74% | 55 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 11% | 44 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.2% | 5.6% | 31 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 15% | 62 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 17% | 51 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 23/yr | 39/yr | 99 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 6.8/yr | 7 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 72/yr | 97/yr | 103 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 79/yr | 59/yr | 7 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 Bourbon 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