Stevens County, Kansas · Hugoton
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Stevens County averages 42 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 30% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 3.6 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Stevens County spike on heavy-rain days, about 3.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 115 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
10% of occupied homes in Stevens 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 40 times a year in Stevens County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Stevens County covers 727 square miles of southwest Kansas, with about 5,162 residents and 2,265 homes. The county seat is Hugoton, and Moscow is the other large town. Half the homes here were built before 1974, half after.
30/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Stevens County ranks 104 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Stevens County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Stevens 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 126 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -16°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 11 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 12.
Stevens gets fewer downpours than most Kansas counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 20.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 3.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 84th of 105. April, June and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.18 inches, October 22, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.41 inches, ending October 23, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 115 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
Kansas's 105 counties range widely in housing age; Stevens ranks 86th, with 59% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 30% predate 1960 and 8% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 33% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 28% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Beyond water
About 40 nights a year in Stevens County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (82nd of 105 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 Stevens County it's 75% utility gas, 13% electric, 10% 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 Stevens County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Grant, Haskell and Stanton get more pipe-freeze nights than Stevens. Morton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 81% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Stevens | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 30% | 48% | 92 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 59% | 74% | 86 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 8% | 11% | 76 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 28% | 5.6% | 1 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 15% | 41 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 10% | 17% | 85 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 42/yr | 39/yr | 39 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.6/yr | 6.8/yr | 84 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 115/yr | 97/yr | 25 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 40/yr | 59/yr | 82 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 Stevens County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, June and October.
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