Deuel County, Nebraska · Chappell
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Pipes freeze in Deuel County on about 69 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 74% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 1.7 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Deuel County gets about 1.7 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 133 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
17% of occupied homes in Deuel County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 6 times a year in Deuel County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 1,847 people live in Deuel County, 440 square miles in western Nebraska, in roughly 1,013 homes. Chappell is the county seat; Big Springs is the next largest community. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1945.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Deuel County ranks 27 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Deuel County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Deuel is on the colder side of Nebraska for pipes. It averaged 160 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 69 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 31st.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -26°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 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 April, 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 12 and the last spring freeze around May 3.
Deuel gets fewer downpours than most Nebraska counties, but they still fill basements. About 1.7 days a year bring an inch or more (84th of 93), most often in April, out of 18.2 inches of total precipitation. On March 14, 2021, 2.35 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 2.95 inches (through March 16, 2021).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 133 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 89% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Deuel among the oldest housing stocks of Nebraska's 93 counties.
74% 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.
17% 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
About 6 nights a year in Deuel County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (78th 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Deuel County homes break down as 62% utility gas, 19% electric, 12% propane and 5% wood. Wood heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Deuel County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Garden gets more pipe-freeze nights than Deuel. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Deuel | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 74% | 49% | 1 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 89% | 73% | 2 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 4.7% | 12% | 88 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.8% | 5% | 62 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 14% | 32 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 19% | 56 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 69/yr | 64/yr | 31 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 1.7/yr | 5.1/yr | 84 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 133/yr | 112/yr | 12 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 6/yr | 27/yr | 78 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 Deuel County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, May and July.
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