McPherson County, Nebraska · Tryon
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Pipes freeze in McPherson County on about 71 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 56% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to McPherson County, part of 3.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in McPherson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 3.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
McPherson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.25 inches, and about 128 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
77% of occupied homes in McPherson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
With 6 muggy nights a year, mold in McPherson County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
McPherson County covers 859 square miles of central Nebraska, with about 475 residents and 268 homes. Tryon is the county seat. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1955.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated McPherson County ranks 29 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where McPherson County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
McPherson is on the colder side of Nebraska for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 71 nights a year at or below 20°F (19th of 93) and 161 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
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 -25°F on February 15, 2021.
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 11 and the last spring freeze around May 9.
McPherson gets fewer downpours than most Nebraska counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 21.9 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 3.1 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 72nd of 93. April, May and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.25 inches, September 24, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.37 inches (through May 20, 2018).
About 128 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
86% of homes in McPherson County predate 1980, above the Nebraska county median of 73.1%, which ranks 6th of Nebraska's 93 counties.
In McPherson 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.
The Census counted 21% of homes as vacant, above the Nebraska county median of 14.2%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear 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
McPherson County averages 6 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 expectBy main heating fuel, McPherson County homes break down as 1% utility gas, 20% electric, 76% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is above the Nebraska norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across McPherson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Hooker and Logan get more pipe-freeze nights than McPherson. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | McPherson | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 56% | 49% | 22 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 86% | 73% | 6 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 4.1% | 12% | 90 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.4% | 5% | 69 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 21% | 14% | 26 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 77% | 19% | 1 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 71/yr | 64/yr | 19 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.1/yr | 5.1/yr | 72 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 128/yr | 112/yr | 20 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 6/yr | 27/yr | 78 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 McPherson 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