Rawlins County, Kansas · Atwood
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Rawlins County averages 59 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 55% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 3.4 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 Rawlins County gets about 3.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Rawlins County, 2.81 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
24% of occupied homes in Rawlins County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
With 17 muggy nights a year, mold in Rawlins County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 1,370 homes and around 2,516 residents, Rawlins County is 1,069 square miles of northwest Kansas. Besides Atwood, the county seat, the biggest communities are McDonald, Herndon and Ludell. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1956.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Rawlins County ranks 39 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Rawlins County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Rawlins County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Kansas. From 2015–2024 it averaged 59 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 148 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 4th of 105 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 13 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -23°F on February 15, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 17 and end around Apr 24.
Rawlins gets fewer downpours than most Kansas counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 19.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 3.4 days of an inch or more (91st of 105). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.81 inches on April 17, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.8 inches, ending April 18, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 127 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
73% of homes in Rawlins County predate 1980, close to the Kansas county median of 73.7%, which ranks 56th of Kansas's 105 counties.
55% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 24% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
13% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Kansas county median of 5.6%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
About 17 nights a year in Rawlins County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (101st of 105 counties). May is the wettest month. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Rawlins County's occupied homes: 67% utility gas, 9% electric, 22% propane and 2% 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 Rawlins County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Decatur and Thomas get more pipe-freeze nights than Rawlins. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Decatur County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Rawlins | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 55% | 48% | 28 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 73% | 74% | 56 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 3.9% | 11% | 104 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 5.6% | 9 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 15% | 54 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 17% | 32 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 59/yr | 39/yr | 4 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.4/yr | 6.8/yr | 91 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 127/yr | 97/yr | 6 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 17/yr | 59/yr | 101 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 Rawlins County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June 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