Morton County, Kansas · Elkhart
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Pipes freeze in Morton County on about 38 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 38% of the stock here, are most at risk.
July brings the most downpours to Morton County, part of 2.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Morton County spike on heavy-rain days, about 2.5 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Morton County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.65 inches, and about 116 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
14% of occupied homes in Morton County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
About 30 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
Morton County covers 730 square miles of southwest Kansas, with about 2,611 residents and 1,310 homes. Elkhart is the county seat; Rolla and Richfield are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1966.
26/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Morton County ranks 105 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Morton County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
For frozen pipes, Morton County is a typical Kansas county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 38 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 126 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 54th of 105 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 11 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -18°F on February 15, 2021.
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 24 and the last spring freeze around Apr 12.
Morton gets fewer downpours than most Kansas counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 17.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 2.5 days of an inch or more (103rd of 105). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.65 inches on October 22, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 2.9 inches (through June 8, 2022).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 116 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
81% of homes in Morton County predate 1980, above the Kansas county median of 73.7%, which ranks 22nd of Kansas's 105 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 38% of homes are pre-1960 and 6% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Here 8% 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.
The Census counted 26% of homes as vacant, above the Kansas county median of 14.9%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
About 30 nights a year in Morton County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (92nd of 105 counties). July is the wettest month. 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 Morton County it's 72% utility gas, 13% electric, 14% propane and under 1% 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 Morton 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 Morton. 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 | Morton | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 38% | 48% | 73 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 81% | 74% | 22 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 5.5% | 11% | 90 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.3% | 5.6% | 30 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 26% | 15% | 7 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 17% | 64 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 38/yr | 39/yr | 54 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.5/yr | 6.8/yr | 103 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 116/yr | 97/yr | 23 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 30/yr | 59/yr | 92 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 Morton County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July 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