Butler County, Kansas · El Dorado
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Pipes freeze in Butler County on about 30 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 27% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Butler County averages 9.2 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
27% 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.
Butler County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.91 inches, and about 83 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
13% of occupied homes in Butler County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
About 74 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
About 68,287 people live in Butler County, 1,430 square miles in southeast Kansas, in roughly 27,485 homes. Besides El Dorado, the county seat, the biggest communities are Andover, Augusta and Rose Hill. Half the homes here were built before 1984, half after.
41/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Butler County ranks 83 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Butler 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 98 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 13 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -16°F on February 16, 2021.
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 28 and end around Apr 10.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kansas. About 9.2 days a year bring an inch or more (23rd of 105), most often in May, out of 36.6 inches of total precipitation. On May 21, 2019, 4.91 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.6 inches, ending May 21, 2019, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 83 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
Roughly 45% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Butler among the newer housing stocks of Kansas's 105 counties.
25% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Kansas. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
About 30% 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
Butler County averages 74 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 expectMain heating fuel in Butler County's occupied homes: 56% utility gas, 29% electric, 11% 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 Butler County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Chase, Harvey and Marion get more pipe-freeze nights than Butler. Marion County has the oldest housing nearby, with 74% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Butler | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 48% | 94 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 74% | 100 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 11% | 10 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.2% | 5.6% | 38 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 7.8% | 15% | 92 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 17% | 74 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 30/yr | 39/yr | 81 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.2/yr | 6.8/yr | 23 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 83/yr | 97/yr | 82 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 74/yr | 59/yr | 19 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 Butler 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