Kimball County, Nebraska · Kimball
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With 70% of homes built before 1960 and about 78 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Kimball County, part of 1.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
70% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Kimball County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.24 inches, and about 155 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
27% of occupied homes in Kimball County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
About 0 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
About 3,248 people live in Kimball County, 952 square miles in western Nebraska, in roughly 1,782 homes. The county seat is Kimball, and Dix and Bushnell round out the largest towns. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1952.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Kimball County ranks 19 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Kimball County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Kimball County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Nebraska. From 2015–2024 it averaged 78 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 180 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 5th of 93 counties.
On February 15, 2021 the low fell to about -20°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.
Most freezing nights fall from October to April, 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 6 and end around May 12.
Kimball gets fewer downpours than most Nebraska counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 16.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 1.2 days of an inch or more (88th of 93). Those downpours cluster in March, May and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.24 inches on May 12, 2023. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.28 inches, ending May 12, 2023, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 155 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; Kimball ranks 1st, with 90% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 70% 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.
Here 9% 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.
16% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 0 times a year here, below 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 expectMain heating fuel in Kimball County's occupied homes: 51% utility gas, 19% electric, 24% propane and 4% 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 Kimball County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Kimball gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Kimball | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 70% | 49% | 2 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 90% | 73% | 1 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 3.7% | 12% | 92 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.5% | 5% | 17 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 14% | 35 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 19% | 29 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 78/yr | 64/yr | 5 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 1.2/yr | 5.1/yr | 88 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 155/yr | 112/yr | 1 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 0/yr | 27/yr | 93 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 Kimball County: freezing from October to April, heavy rain in March, 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