Russell County, Kansas · Russell
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With 56% of homes built before 1960 and about 42 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in August. Russell County averages 5.3 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
56% 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.
Russell County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.96 inches, and about 107 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
12% of occupied homes in Russell County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 54 times a year in Russell County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Russell County covers 886 square miles of northern Kansas, with about 6,679 residents and 3,674 homes. Russell is the county seat; Gorham, Lucas and Dorrance are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1957.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Russell County ranks 24 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Russell County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Russell County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 42 nights a year at or below 20°F (39th of 105) and 125 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
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 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 25 and end around Apr 19.
Russell gets fewer downpours than most Kansas counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 25 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 73rd of 105. May, June and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.96 inches, August 25, 2019. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.1 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 107 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
76% of homes in Russell County predate 1980, close to the Kansas county median of 73.7%, which ranks 36th of Kansas's 105 counties.
Before 1960 is when 56% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 54 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Russell County it's 69% utility gas, 19% electric, 11% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Russell County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Ellis, Osborne and Rush get more pipe-freeze nights than Russell. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Rush County has the oldest housing nearby, with 87% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Russell | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 56% | 48% | 19 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 76% | 74% | 36 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 11% | 49 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3% | 5.6% | 88 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 15% | 48 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 17% | 81 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 42/yr | 39/yr | 39 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.3/yr | 6.8/yr | 73 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 107/yr | 97/yr | 37 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 54/yr | 59/yr | 61 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 Russell 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