Arthur County, Nebraska · Arthur
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Pipes freeze in Arthur County on about 70 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 39% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Arthur County averages 2.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Arthur County spike on heavy-rain days, about 2.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 128 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
57% of occupied homes in Arthur County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 5 times a year in Arthur County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Arthur County covers 715 square miles of western Nebraska, with about 484 residents and 232 homes. Arthur is the county seat. Half the homes here were built before 1974, half after.
34/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Arthur County ranks 86 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Arthur County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Arthur County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Nebraska. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 70 nights a year at or below 20°F (23rd of 93) and 160 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -24°F, and in the stretch ending March 2019 the county went 22 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs November to April, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 9 and end around May 10.
Arthur gets fewer downpours than most Nebraska counties, but they still fill basements. About 2.6 days a year bring an inch or more (77th of 93), most often in May, out of 20.1 inches of total precipitation. On August 20, 2021, 2.24 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.29 inches, ending May 13, 2023, 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
59% of homes in Arthur County predate 1980, below the Nebraska county median of 73.1%, which ranks 85th of Nebraska's 93 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 20% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 15% 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.
With 20% 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
Arthur County averages 5 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 Arthur County it's 2% utility gas, 40% electric, 44% propane and 12% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Nebraska 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 Arthur County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Garden, Grant, Hooker and McPherson get more pipe-freeze nights than Arthur. McPherson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Arthur | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 39% | 49% | 74 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 59% | 73% | 85 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 12% | 11 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 15% | 5% | 7 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 14% | 29 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 57% | 19% | 14 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 70/yr | 64/yr | 23 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.6/yr | 5.1/yr | 77 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 128/yr | 112/yr | 20 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 5/yr | 27/yr | 80 of 93 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Nebraska county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Arthur County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, May and June.
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