Sherman County, Kansas · Goodland
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Sherman County averages 59 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 44% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Sherman County averages 2.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Sherman County spike on heavy-rain days, about 2.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 130 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Sherman 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 13 times a year in Sherman County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 2,936 homes and around 5,858 residents, Sherman County is 1,056 square miles of northwest Kansas. Goodland is the county seat; Kanorado and Edson are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1967, half after.
41/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Sherman County ranks 90 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Sherman County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Sherman 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 149 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 4th 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 -24°F on February 15, 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 17 and end around Apr 26.
Sherman gets fewer downpours than most Kansas counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 18.8 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 2.4 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 104th of 105. April, May and June see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.49 inches, March 14, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.4 inches, ending August 14, 2019, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 130 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
Roughly 77% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Sherman among the oldest housing stocks of Kansas's 105 counties.
The mix runs from 44% built before 1960 to 6% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
Renters occupy 35% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Sherman County averages 13 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 Sherman County's occupied homes: 75% utility gas, 14% electric, 8% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Sherman County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Thomas gets more pipe-freeze nights than Sherman. Cheyenne County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Sherman | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 44% | 48% | 64 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 77% | 74% | 33 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 6.3% | 11% | 85 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.9% | 5.6% | 59 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 15% | 41 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.4% | 17% | 92 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 59/yr | 39/yr | 4 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.4/yr | 6.8/yr | 104 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 130/yr | 97/yr | 2 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 13/yr | 59/yr | 104 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 Sherman County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, May and June.
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