Osborne County, Kansas · Osborne
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Pipes freeze in Osborne County on about 47 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 62% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Osborne County averages 5.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
62% 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.
Osborne County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.72 inches, and about 110 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
23% of occupied homes in Osborne County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
About 47 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 3,452 people live in Osborne County, 893 square miles in northern Kansas, in roughly 2,031 homes. Besides Osborne, the county seat, the biggest communities are Downs, Natoma and Alton. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1952.
63/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Osborne County ranks 7 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Osborne County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Osborne County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Kansas. From 2015–2024 it averaged 47 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 131 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 29th of 105 counties.
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 -18°F on February 16, 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 21 and end around Apr 19.
Rainfall is about average for Kansas. The county gets about 25.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.7 days of an inch or more (70th of 105). Those downpours cluster in May, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.72 inches on June 20, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.61 inches, ending October 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 110 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
87% of homes in Osborne County predate 1980, above the Kansas county median of 73.7%, which ranks 3rd of Kansas's 105 counties.
Before 1960 is when 62% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
The Census counted 22% 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 47 nights a year in Osborne County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (73rd of 105 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Osborne County homes break down as 65% utility gas, 12% electric, 19% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Osborne County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Ellis, Rooks and Smith get more pipe-freeze nights than Osborne. Rooks County has the oldest housing nearby, with 87% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Osborne | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 62% | 48% | 8 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 87% | 74% | 3 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 4.1% | 11% | 102 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.7% | 5.6% | 52 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 22% | 15% | 15 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 23% | 17% | 36 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 47/yr | 39/yr | 29 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.7/yr | 6.8/yr | 70 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 110/yr | 97/yr | 32 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 47/yr | 59/yr | 73 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 Osborne County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, August and September.
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