Wilson County, Kansas · Fredonia
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Pipes freeze in Wilson County on about 22 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 47% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Wilson County averages 10.2 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Wilson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 10.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 74 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
20% of occupied homes in Wilson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
About 83 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
Wilson County covers 570 square miles of southeast Kansas, with about 8,505 residents and 4,493 homes. Fredonia is the county seat; Neodesha, Altoona and Buffalo are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1965, half after.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Wilson County ranks 53 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Wilson County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Kansas, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 22 nights a year at or below 20°F (101st of 105) and 87 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 17, 2021 the low fell to about -13°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 12 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 December to February. 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 Nov 3 and end around Apr 5.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kansas. About 10.2 days a year bring an inch or more (9th of 105), most often in May, out of 40.4 inches of total precipitation. On May 21, 2019, 5.34 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.04 inches, ending April 28, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 74 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; Wilson ranks 70th, with 67% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 47% of homes are pre-1960 and 13% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Here 11% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
22% 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
Wilson County averages 83 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Wilson County it's 57% utility gas, 21% electric, 17% propane and 3% wood. Wood 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 Wilson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Elk, Greenwood, Neosho and Woodson get more pipe-freeze nights than Wilson. Montgomery County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Wilson | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 47% | 48% | 56 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 67% | 74% | 70 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 11% | 41 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 5.6% | 15 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 22% | 15% | 18 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 20% | 17% | 43 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 22/yr | 39/yr | 101 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 6.8/yr | 9 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 74/yr | 97/yr | 100 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 83/yr | 59/yr | 4 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 Wilson County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in May, 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