Chase County, Nebraska · Imperial
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With 47% 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 Chase County, part of 2.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
47% 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.
Chase County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.81 inches, and about 132 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
17% of occupied homes in Chase County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
About 10 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 1,870 homes and around 3,671 residents, Chase County is 894 square miles of southwest Nebraska. Besides Imperial, the county seat, the biggest communities are Wauneta, Enders and Lamar. Half the homes here were built before 1965, half after.
34/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Chase County ranks 87 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Chase County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Chase County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 62 nights a year at or below 20°F (52nd of 93) and 155 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -25°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 14 and end around Apr 29.
Chase gets fewer downpours than most Nebraska counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 17.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 2.3 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 79th of 93. April, May and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.81 inches, August 20, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.64 inches, ending May 13, 2023, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 132 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
Roughly 81% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Chase among the oldest housing stocks of Nebraska's 93 counties.
The mix runs from 47% built before 1960 to 8% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
21% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 10 times a year here, below the Nebraska county median of 27. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Chase County homes break down as 46% utility gas, 35% electric, 16% propane and 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 Chase County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Perkins gets more pipe-freeze nights than Chase. Perkins County has the oldest housing nearby, with 83% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Chase | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 47% | 49% | 51 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 81% | 73% | 16 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 8% | 12% | 73 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.7% | 5% | 30 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 21% | 14% | 25 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 19% | 59 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 62/yr | 64/yr | 52 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.3/yr | 5.1/yr | 79 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 132/yr | 112/yr | 13 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 10/yr | 27/yr | 69 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 Chase County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, May 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