Clay County, Nebraska · Clay Center
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Pipes freeze in Clay County on about 51 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 54% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.4 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Clay County gets about 5.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Clay County, 3.26 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
10% of occupied homes in Clay County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
With 37 muggy nights a year, mold in Clay County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 6,095 people live in Clay County, 572 square miles in southeast Nebraska, in roughly 2,817 homes. Clay Center is the county seat; Sutton, Harvard and Edgar are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1954.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Clay County ranks 42 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clay County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Clay County is milder than most of Nebraska, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 136 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 51 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 93 Nebraska counties that's 81st.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -26°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 15 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 21 and the last spring freeze around Apr 22.
Rainfall is about average for Nebraska. The county gets about 26.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.4 days of an inch or more (32nd of 93). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.26 inches on March 14, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.12 inches (through March 16, 2021).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 105 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
Nebraska's 93 counties range widely in housing age; Clay ranks 28th, with 78% of its homes built before 1980.
54% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 37 times a year here, above 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, Clay County homes break down as 57% utility gas, 31% 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 Clay County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Adams, Fillmore, Hamilton and Webster get more pipe-freeze nights than Clay. Webster County has the oldest housing nearby, with 80% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clay | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 54% | 49% | 29 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 78% | 73% | 28 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 11% | 12% | 55 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.9% | 5% | 80 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 14% | 63 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.5% | 19% | 77 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 51/yr | 64/yr | 81 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.4/yr | 5.1/yr | 32 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 105/yr | 112/yr | 57 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 37/yr | 27/yr | 21 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 Clay County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June and September.
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