Custer County, Nebraska · Broken Bow
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With 52% of homes built before 1960 and about 68 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Custer County, part of 3.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
52% 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.
Custer County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.48 inches, and about 123 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
33% of occupied homes in Custer 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 11 times a year in Custer County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 10,518 people live in Custer County, 2,575 square miles in central Nebraska, in roughly 5,334 homes. The county seat is Broken Bow, and Arnold, Ansley and Callaway round out the largest towns. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1958.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Custer County ranks 49 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Custer County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Custer County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 68 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 156 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 35th of 93 counties.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -29°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.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to April. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 10 and end around May 8.
Custer gets fewer downpours than most Nebraska counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 24.9 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 3.7 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 64th of 93. May, June and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.48 inches, August 16, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.35 inches, ending August 16, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 123 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
Nebraska's 93 counties range widely in housing age; Custer ranks 52nd, with 73% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 52% predate 1960 and 12% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
Renters occupy 31% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
About 11 nights a year in Custer County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (66th 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 Custer County it's 30% utility gas, 35% electric, 30% propane and 3% wood. Propane heat is 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 Custer County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Blaine and Logan get more pipe-freeze nights than Custer. Blaine County has the oldest housing nearby, with 75% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Custer | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 52% | 49% | 35 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 73% | 73% | 52 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 12% | 46 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.7% | 5% | 84 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 14% | 39 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 33% | 19% | 19 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 68/yr | 64/yr | 35 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.7/yr | 5.1/yr | 64 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 123/yr | 112/yr | 31 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 11/yr | 27/yr | 66 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 Custer County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in May, June 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