Dixon County, Nebraska · Ponca
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With 58% of homes built before 1960 and about 71 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.5 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Dixon County gets about 5.5 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Dixon County, 2.35 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
32% of occupied homes in Dixon County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
With 28 muggy nights a year, mold in Dixon County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 5,545 people live in Dixon County, 476 square miles in northeast Nebraska, in roughly 2,515 homes. Besides Ponca, the county seat, the biggest communities are Wakefield, Emerson and Allen. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1950.
74/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Dixon County ranks 1 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dixon County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Dixon County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Nebraska. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 71 nights a year at or below 20°F (19th of 93) and 150 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -29°F, and in the stretch ending March 2019 the county went 32 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 13 and end around Apr 27.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Nebraska. Of roughly 27.2 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 29th of 93. June, August and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.35 inches, June 21, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.39 inches, ending September 25, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 101 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
81% of homes in Dixon County predate 1980, above the Nebraska county median of 73.1%, which ranks 13th of Nebraska's 93 counties.
Before 1960 is when 58% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
Beyond water
About 28 nights a year in Dixon County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (40th of 93 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Dixon County homes break down as 31% utility gas, 33% electric, 30% propane and 3% wood. Propane heat is more common here than in most Nebraska counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Dixon County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Dixon gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dixon | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 58% | 49% | 17 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 81% | 73% | 13 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 8% | 12% | 73 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.8% | 5% | 62 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 14% | 55 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 32% | 19% | 20 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 71/yr | 64/yr | 19 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.5/yr | 5.1/yr | 29 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 101/yr | 112/yr | 71 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 28/yr | 27/yr | 40 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 Dixon 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