Rush County, Kansas · La Crosse
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Pipes freeze in Rush County on about 46 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 66% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Rush County, part of 6.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
66% 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.
Rush County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.63 inches, and about 108 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
22% of occupied homes in Rush County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 46 times a year in Rush County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 2,947 people live in Rush County, 718 square miles in central Kansas, in roughly 1,679 homes. Besides La Crosse, the county seat, the biggest communities are Otis, McCracken and Rush Center. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1948.
64/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Rush County ranks 5 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Rush County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Rush County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Kansas. From 2015–2024 it averaged 46 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 127 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 32nd 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 -16°F on February 15, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 23 and end around Apr 17.
Rainfall is about average for Kansas. About 6.2 days a year bring an inch or more (62nd of 105), most often in May, out of 24.2 inches of total precipitation. On April 17, 2016, 2.63 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.63 inches, ending October 10, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 108 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
87% of homes in Rush County predate 1980, above the Kansas county median of 73.7%, which ranks 1st of Kansas's 105 counties.
66% 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.
With 17% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 46 times a year here, below the Kansas county median of 59. 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 Rush County it's 67% utility gas, 10% electric, 20% propane and 2% wood. Propane heat is 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 Rush County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Ellis and Ness get more pipe-freeze nights than Rush. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Rush | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 66% | 48% | 4 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 87% | 74% | 1 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 5.8% | 11% | 88 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.6% | 5.6% | 77 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 15% | 34 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 17% | 39 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 46/yr | 39/yr | 32 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.2/yr | 6.8/yr | 62 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 108/yr | 97/yr | 35 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 46/yr | 59/yr | 74 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 Rush County: freezing from November to March, 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