Hooker County, Nebraska · Mullen
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Pipes freeze in Hooker County on about 76 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 56% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 3.6 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Hooker County spike on heavy-rain days, about 3.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 132 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
69% of occupied homes in Hooker 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 4 times a year in Hooker County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 647 people live in Hooker County, 721 square miles in northwest Nebraska, in roughly 428 homes. The county seat is Mullen. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1955.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hooker County ranks 14 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hooker County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Hooker County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Nebraska. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 76 nights a year at or below 20°F (7th of 93) and 167 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -25°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 7 and end around May 12.
Hooker gets fewer downpours than most Nebraska counties, but they still fill basements. About 3.6 days a year bring an inch or more (66th of 93), most often in May, out of 23.5 inches of total precipitation. On June 14, 2016, 2.14 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.28 inches, ending May 20, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 132 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; Hooker ranks 22nd, with 79% of its homes built before 1980.
In Hooker County 56% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
With 24% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Renters occupy 45% 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
Hooker County averages 4 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Hooker County it's 2% utility gas, 29% electric, 66% propane and 2% 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 Hooker County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Grant gets more pipe-freeze nights than Hooker. McPherson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hooker | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 56% | 49% | 22 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 79% | 73% | 22 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.3% | 12% | 66 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.1% | 5% | 34 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 24% | 14% | 18 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 69% | 19% | 6 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 76/yr | 64/yr | 7 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.6/yr | 5.1/yr | 66 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 132/yr | 112/yr | 13 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 4/yr | 27/yr | 82 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 Hooker County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, May and June.
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