Howard County, Nebraska · St. Paul
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Pipes freeze in Howard County on about 61 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 48% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Howard County, part of 5.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Howard County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5.5 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Howard County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.27 inches, and about 111 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
27% of occupied homes in Howard 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 28 times a year in Howard County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Howard County covers 569 square miles of central Nebraska, with about 6,534 residents and 2,894 homes. St. Paul is the county seat; St. Libory, Dannebrog and Howard City (Boelus) are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1963.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Howard County ranks 38 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Howard County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
For frozen pipes, Howard County is a typical Nebraska county, which is still plenty. It averaged 146 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 61 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 55th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 22 days below freezing (ending March 2019), and the low bottomed out near -28°F on February 16, 2021.
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 16 and the last spring freeze around Apr 27.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Nebraska. About 5.5 days a year bring an inch or more (29th of 93), most often in May, out of 27 inches of total precipitation. On March 14, 2021, 3.27 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.64 inches (through March 16, 2021).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 111 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; Howard ranks 56th, with 70% of its homes built before 1980.
Housing age is mixed: 48% of homes are pre-1960 and 14% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Beyond water
Howard County averages 28 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Howard County's occupied homes: 32% utility gas, 37% electric, 24% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Howard County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Greeley, Nance and Sherman get more pipe-freeze nights than Howard. Nance County has the oldest housing nearby, with 81% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Howard | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 48% | 49% | 49 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 70% | 73% | 56 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 12% | 33 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4% | 5% | 58 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 14% | 51 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 19% | 30 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 61/yr | 64/yr | 55 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.5/yr | 5.1/yr | 29 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 111/yr | 112/yr | 48 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 Howard County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, July 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