Colfax County, Nebraska · Schuyler
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Pipes freeze in Colfax County on about 60 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 43% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Colfax County averages 5 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Colfax County gets about 5 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 99 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
19% of occupied homes in Colfax County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
With 38 muggy nights a year, mold in Colfax County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 3,997 homes and around 10,641 residents, Colfax County is 411 square miles of eastern Nebraska. The county seat is Schuyler, and Clarkson, Howells and Leigh round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1967.
45/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Colfax County ranks 65 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Colfax County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
For frozen pipes, Colfax County is a typical Nebraska county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 60 nights a year at or below 20°F (59th of 93) and 137 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 20 days below freezing (ending March 2019), and the low bottomed out near -29°F on February 16, 2021.
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 18 and the last spring freeze around Apr 21.
Rainfall is about average for Nebraska. About 5 days a year bring an inch or more (48th of 93), most often in June, out of 27.7 inches of total precipitation. On August 16, 2017, 2.92 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.16 inches (through March 16, 2021).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 99 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
Nebraska's 93 counties range widely in housing age; Colfax ranks 52nd, with 73% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 43% built before 1960 to 11% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
11% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Nebraska county median of 5%. 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.
Beyond water
About 38 nights a year in Colfax County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (17th of 93 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Colfax County it's 37% utility gas, 40% electric, 18% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Colfax County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cuming, Platte and Stanton get more pipe-freeze nights than Colfax. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Cuming County has the oldest housing nearby, with 75% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Colfax | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 43% | 49% | 61 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 73% | 73% | 52 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 11% | 12% | 56 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 5% | 12 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 7.3% | 14% | 78 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 19% | 49 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 60/yr | 64/yr | 59 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5/yr | 5.1/yr | 48 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 99/yr | 112/yr | 80 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 38/yr | 27/yr | 17 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 Colfax County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, August 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