Thomas County, Kansas · Colby
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With 41% of homes built before 1960 and about 62 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Thomas County, part of 2.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
41% 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.
Thomas County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.05 inches, and about 128 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
9% of occupied homes in Thomas County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
About 18 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
With 3,575 homes and around 7,885 residents, Thomas County is 1,075 square miles of northwest Kansas. Besides Colby, the county seat, the biggest communities are Brewster, Rexford and Gem. Half the homes here were built before 1967, half after.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Thomas County ranks 82 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Thomas County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Thomas County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Kansas. From 2015–2024 it averaged 62 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 148 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 1st of 105 counties.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -24°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 13 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 23.
Thomas gets fewer downpours than most Kansas counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 19.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 2.8 days of an inch or more (100th of 105). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.05 inches on May 11, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.47 inches, ending September 26, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 128 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Roughly 78% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Thomas among the oldest housing stocks of Kansas's 105 counties.
The mix runs from 41% built before 1960 to 5% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
Beyond water
About 18 nights a year in Thomas County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (100th of 105 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 Thomas County's occupied homes: 77% utility gas, 14% electric, 9% 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 Thomas 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 any of its neighbors. Decatur County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Thomas | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 48% | 68 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 78% | 74% | 27 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 5% | 11% | 94 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.3% | 5.6% | 48 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 15% | 68 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.5% | 17% | 90 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 62/yr | 39/yr | 1 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.8/yr | 6.8/yr | 100 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 128/yr | 97/yr | 4 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 18/yr | 59/yr | 100 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 Thomas 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