Montgomery County, Kansas · Independence
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Pipes freeze in Montgomery County on about 19 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 53% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Montgomery County, part of 10.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Montgomery County spike on heavy-rain days, about 10.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Montgomery County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.91 inches, and about 76 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
13% of occupied homes in Montgomery County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 84 times a year in Montgomery County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Montgomery County covers 644 square miles of southeast Kansas, with about 30,940 residents and 15,538 homes. Independence is the county seat; Coffeyville, Cherryvale and Caney are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1958.
58/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Montgomery County ranks 21 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Montgomery County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Montgomery County is milder than most of Kansas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 86 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 19 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 104th.
The longest cold spell was straight 12 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -14°F on February 17, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 2 and the last spring freeze around Apr 3.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kansas. The county gets about 40.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 10.2 days of an inch or more (9th of 105). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.91 inches on May 21, 2019. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.58 inches (through October 7, 2016).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 76 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; Montgomery ranks 39th, with 76% of its homes built before 1980.
In Montgomery County 53% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
17% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Montgomery County averages 84 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, Montgomery County homes break down as 64% utility gas, 22% electric, 10% 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 Montgomery County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Every neighboring county gets more pipe-freeze nights than Montgomery. Labette County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Montgomery | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 53% | 48% | 34 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 76% | 74% | 39 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.2% | 11% | 67 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.5% | 5.6% | 45 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 15% | 37 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 17% | 76 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 19/yr | 39/yr | 104 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 6.8/yr | 9 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 76/yr | 97/yr | 94 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 84/yr | 59/yr | 2 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 Montgomery 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