Dodge County, Nebraska · Fremont
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With 41% of homes built before 1960 and about 58 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Dodge County, part of 5.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Dodge County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Dodge County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.34 inches, and about 98 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
9% of occupied homes in Dodge County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
With 43 muggy nights a year, mold in Dodge County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Dodge County covers 529 square miles of eastern Nebraska, with about 37,351 residents and 16,725 homes. Besides Fremont, the county seat, the biggest communities are North Bend, Hooper and Scribner. The county's median home was built in 1967.
48/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Dodge County ranks 54 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dodge County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Dodge County is milder than most of Nebraska, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 58 nights a year at or below 20°F (65th of 93) and 136 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -26°F, and in the stretch ending March 2019 the county went 20 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 18 and the last spring freeze around Apr 20.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Nebraska. The county gets about 30.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.6 days of an inch or more (25th of 93). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.34 inches on June 18, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.67 inches (through May 22, 2024).
About 98 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
68% of homes in Dodge County predate 1980, close to the Nebraska county median of 73.1%, which ranks 65th of Nebraska's 93 counties.
18% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Nebraska. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
Renters occupy 33% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 43 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Dodge County it's 52% utility gas, 38% electric, 8% 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 Dodge County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Burt, Butler, Colfax and Cuming get more pipe-freeze nights than Dodge. Cuming County has the oldest housing nearby, with 75% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dodge | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 49% | 68 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 68% | 73% | 65 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 12% | 17 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.9% | 5% | 48 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 9.3% | 14% | 71 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.7% | 19% | 80 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 58/yr | 64/yr | 65 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.6/yr | 5.1/yr | 25 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 98/yr | 112/yr | 83 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 43/yr | 27/yr | 14 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 Dodge County: freezing from November to March, 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