Lincoln County, Nebraska · North Platte
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Lincoln County averages 68 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 40% of its homes predate 1960.
May brings the most downpours to Lincoln County, part of 2.9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
40% 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.
In Lincoln County, 2.55 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
10% of occupied homes in Lincoln County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
With 10 muggy nights a year, mold in Lincoln County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 33,802 people live in Lincoln County, 2,564 square miles in southern Nebraska, in roughly 16,624 homes. North Platte is the county seat; Sutherland, Hershey and Brady are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1970.
33/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Lincoln County ranks 90 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lincoln County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
For frozen pipes, Lincoln County is a typical Nebraska county, which is still plenty. It averaged 158 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 68 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 35th.
The longest cold spell was straight 21 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2019. The coldest night reached about -26°F on February 15, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 12 and the last spring freeze around May 4.
Lincoln gets fewer downpours than most Nebraska counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 21.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 2.9 days of an inch or more (75th of 93). Those downpours cluster in April, May and July, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.55 inches on March 14, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.07 inches (through April 18, 2016).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 130 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
Roughly 69% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Lincoln near the middle of Nebraska's 93 counties.
The mix runs from 40% built before 1960 to 12% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 7% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
Renters occupy 34% 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 10 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Lincoln County it's 62% utility gas, 27% electric, 9% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Lincoln County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Logan and McPherson get more pipe-freeze nights than Lincoln. McPherson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lincoln | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 40% | 49% | 73 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 69% | 73% | 59 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 12% | 44 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.3% | 5% | 24 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 10% | 14% | 66 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 10% | 19% | 74 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 68/yr | 64/yr | 35 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.9/yr | 5.1/yr | 75 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 130/yr | 112/yr | 15 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 10/yr | 27/yr | 69 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 Lincoln County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, May and July.
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