Ottawa County, Kansas · Minneapolis
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Ottawa County averages 36 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 41% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.7 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 Ottawa County gets about 6.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Ottawa County, 2.34 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
38% of occupied homes in Ottawa County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
With 64 muggy nights a year, mold in Ottawa County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 2,693 homes and around 5,819 residents, Ottawa County is 721 square miles of northern Kansas. Besides Minneapolis, the county seat, the biggest communities are Bennington, Delphos and Tescott. Half the homes here were built before 1969, half after.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Ottawa County ranks 74 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Ottawa County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Ottawa County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 36 nights a year at or below 20°F (59th of 105) and 114 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 -17°F on February 16, 2021.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 26 and end around Apr 16.
Rainfall is about average for Kansas. The county gets about 28.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.7 days of an inch or more (54th of 105). Those downpours cluster in May, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.34 inches on July 15, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.93 inches, ending May 26, 2022, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 95 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; Ottawa ranks 78th, with 63% of its homes built before 1980.
21% 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.
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 expectMain heating fuel in Ottawa County's occupied homes: 37% utility gas, 23% electric, 35% propane and 3% wood. Propane 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 Ottawa County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Clay, Cloud, Lincoln and Mitchell get more pipe-freeze nights than Ottawa. Lincoln County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Ottawa | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 48% | 70 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 63% | 74% | 78 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 11% | 12 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.5% | 5.6% | 79 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 15% | 76 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 38% | 17% | 5 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 36/yr | 39/yr | 59 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.7/yr | 6.8/yr | 54 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 95/yr | 97/yr | 58 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 Ottawa County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, 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