Stafford County, Kansas · St. John
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Pipes freeze in Stafford County on about 39 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 61% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.2 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Stafford County gets about 6.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 101 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
30% of occupied homes in Stafford 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 57 times a year in Stafford County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Stafford County covers 792 square miles of central Kansas, with about 3,978 residents and 2,093 homes. Besides St. John, the county seat, the biggest communities are Stafford, Macksville and Hudson. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1951.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Stafford County ranks 17 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Stafford County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
For frozen pipes, Stafford County is a typical Kansas county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 39 nights a year at or below 20°F (51st of 105) and 118 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 -14°F on February 16, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 25 and the last spring freeze around Apr 11.
Rainfall is about average for Kansas. The county gets about 25.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.2 days of an inch or more (62nd of 105). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.31 inches on September 3, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.53 inches (through October 10, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 101 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 83% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Stafford among the oldest housing stocks of Kansas's 105 counties.
61% 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.
25% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 57 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 Stafford County it's 56% utility gas, 14% electric, 28% propane and 2% wood. Propane heat is above the Kansas norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Stafford County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Barton, Edwards and Pawnee get more pipe-freeze nights than Stafford. Edwards County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Stafford | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 61% | 48% | 9 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 83% | 74% | 16 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 6.8% | 11% | 82 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.3% | 5.6% | 82 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 25% | 15% | 12 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 30% | 17% | 12 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 39/yr | 39/yr | 51 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.2/yr | 6.8/yr | 62 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 101/yr | 97/yr | 46 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 57/yr | 59/yr | 55 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 Stafford 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