Clay County, Kansas · Clay Center
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Pipes freeze in Clay County on about 38 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 48% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.8 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 Clay County gets about 7.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Clay County, 2.73 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 Clay County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
With 64 muggy nights a year, mold in Clay County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 8,048 people live in Clay County, 645 square miles in northern Kansas, in roughly 3,944 homes. Clay Center is the county seat; Wakefield, Morganville and Green are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1962.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Clay County ranks 44 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clay County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
For frozen pipes, Clay County is a typical Kansas county, which is still plenty. It averaged 113 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 38 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 54th.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -18°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 November to March, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 26 and the last spring freeze around Apr 16.
Rainfall is about average for Kansas. The county gets about 31.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.8 days of an inch or more (43rd of 105). Those downpours cluster in May, June and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.73 inches on July 15, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.62 inches (through September 5, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 93 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; Clay ranks 42nd, with 75% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 48% predate 1960 and 12% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 64 times a year here, close to the Kansas county median of 59. 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, Clay County homes break down as 58% utility gas, 21% electric, 15% propane and 3% wood. Wood heat is more common here than in most Kansas counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Clay County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cloud and Washington get more pipe-freeze nights than Clay. Cloud County has the oldest housing nearby, with 83% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clay | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 48% | 48% | 52 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 75% | 74% | 42 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 11% | 50 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.9% | 5.6% | 59 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 15% | 74 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 17% | 50 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 38/yr | 39/yr | 54 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.8/yr | 6.8/yr | 43 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 93/yr | 97/yr | 61 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 64/yr | 59/yr | 40 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 Clay 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