Harlan County, Nebraska · Alma
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Harlan County averages 56 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 45% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Harlan County averages 5.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Harlan County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 116 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
9% of occupied homes in Harlan County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
With 37 muggy nights a year, mold in Harlan County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 2,847 people live in Harlan County, 553 square miles in southern Nebraska, in roughly 1,884 homes. Besides Alma, the county seat, the biggest communities are Orleans, Stamford and Republican City. Half the homes here were built before 1965, half after.
48/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Harlan County ranks 56 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Harlan County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Nebraska, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 56 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 142 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 68th of 93 counties.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -24°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 13 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 March. 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 15 and end around Apr 28.
Rainfall is about average for Nebraska. The county gets about 25.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.4 days of an inch or more (32nd of 93). Those downpours cluster in April, May and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.76 inches on July 9, 2019. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.59 inches, ending April 18, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 116 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; Harlan ranks 61st, with 69% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 45% predate 1960 and 16% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
Here 22% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
37% 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 37 nights a year in Harlan County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (21st 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, Harlan County homes break down as 52% utility gas, 38% electric, 8% propane and 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 Harlan County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Furnas and Phelps get more pipe-freeze nights than Harlan. Franklin County has the oldest housing nearby, with 87% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Harlan | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 49% | 54 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 69% | 73% | 61 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 12% | 25 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 22% | 5% | 1 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 37% | 14% | 5 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.1% | 19% | 79 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 56/yr | 64/yr | 68 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.4/yr | 5.1/yr | 32 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 116/yr | 112/yr | 39 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 37/yr | 27/yr | 21 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 Harlan County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, May 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