Madison County, Nebraska · Madison
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Pipes freeze in Madison County on about 67 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 32% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 4.6 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Madison County gets about 4.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 105 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Madison County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
With 30 muggy nights a year, mold in Madison County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 35,532 people live in Madison County, 573 square miles in eastern Nebraska, in roughly 15,510 homes. Madison is the county seat; Norfolk, Battle Creek and Tilden are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1974.
40/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Madison County ranks 81 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Madison County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
For frozen pipes, Madison County is a typical Nebraska county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 67 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 146 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 38th of 93 counties.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -30°F, and in the stretch ending March 2019 the county went 20 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 17 and the last spring freeze around Apr 25.
Rainfall is about average for Nebraska. The county gets about 26.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.6 days of an inch or more (53rd of 93). Those downpours cluster in March, May and June, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.52 inches on August 16, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.55 inches (through March 16, 2021).
About 105 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Nebraska's 93 counties range widely in housing age; Madison ranks 84th, with 61% of its homes built before 1980.
16% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Nebraska. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
About 23% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Renters occupy 35% 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
Madison County averages 30 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 Madison County it's 53% utility gas, 37% electric, 7% 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 Madison County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Antelope and Pierce get more pipe-freeze nights than Madison. Antelope County has the oldest housing nearby, with 77% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Madison | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 32% | 49% | 85 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 61% | 73% | 84 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 12% | 24 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.4% | 5% | 69 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 6.8% | 14% | 79 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 7.8% | 19% | 84 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 67/yr | 64/yr | 38 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.6/yr | 5.1/yr | 53 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 105/yr | 112/yr | 57 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 30/yr | 27/yr | 38 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 Madison County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in March, 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