Woodson County, Kansas · Yates Center
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Pipes freeze in Woodson County on about 25 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 48% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Woodson County averages 9.9 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Woodson County gets about 9.9 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 77 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
26% of occupied homes in Woodson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Kansas county median of 16.9%.
With 78 muggy nights a year, mold in Woodson County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Woodson County covers 498 square miles of southeast Kansas, with about 3,109 residents and 1,845 homes. Besides Yates Center, the county seat, the biggest communities are Toronto, Neosho Falls and Piqua. The county's median home was built in 1962.
54/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Woodson County ranks 42 of 105 Kansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Woodson County ranks highest compared with other Kansas counties.
Woodson County is milder than most of Kansas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 25 nights a year at or below 20°F (95th of 105) and 91 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
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 -14°F on February 17, 2021.
The freeze season here runs December to February, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 29 and the last spring freeze around Apr 6.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Kansas. Of roughly 39.9 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 9.9 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 14th of 105. April, May and October see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.93 inches, May 21, 2019. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.16 inches (through September 10, 2016).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 77 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Kansas's 105 counties range widely in housing age; Woodson ranks 43rd, with 75% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 48% built before 1960 to 11% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
10% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Kansas county median of 5.6%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
With 32% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
About 78 nights a year in Woodson County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (10th 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 Woodson County's occupied homes: 48% utility gas, 25% electric, 20% propane and 6% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Woodson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Coffey and Greenwood get more pipe-freeze nights than Woodson. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Woodson | Kansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 48% | 48% | 51 of 105 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 75% | 74% | 43 of 105 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 11% | 11% | 53 of 105 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 10% | 5.6% | 17 of 105 |
| Vacant homes | 32% | 15% | 2 of 105 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 17% | 26 of 105 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 25/yr | 39/yr | 95 of 105 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9.9/yr | 6.8/yr | 14 of 105 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 77/yr | 97/yr | 93 of 105 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 78/yr | 59/yr | 10 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 Woodson County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in April, May 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