Nemaha County, Nebraska · Auburn
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Nemaha County averages 47 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 57% of its homes predate 1960.
June brings the most downpours to Nemaha County, part of 6.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Nemaha County gets about 6.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Nemaha County, 2.66 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
21% of occupied homes in Nemaha County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
About 50 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
With 3,316 homes and around 7,046 residents, Nemaha County is 407 square miles of southeast Nebraska. Besides Auburn, the county seat, the biggest communities are Peru, Johnson and Brock. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1950.
62/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Nemaha County ranks 12 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Nemaha County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Nebraska, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 47 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 124 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 92nd of 93 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 16 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -25°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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 20 and end around Apr 19.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Nebraska. Of roughly 32.1 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6.6 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 9th of 93. May, June and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.66 inches, September 3, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.61 inches, ending June 26, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 96 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 81% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Nemaha among the oldest housing stocks of Nebraska's 93 counties.
57% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
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
Nemaha County averages 50 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 Nemaha County it's 44% utility gas, 33% electric, 19% propane and 2% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Nemaha County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Johnson, Otoe and Pawnee get more pipe-freeze nights than Nemaha. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Richardson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 85% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Nemaha | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 57% | 49% | 18 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 81% | 73% | 12 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.7% | 12% | 64 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.1% | 5% | 57 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 14% | 48 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 21% | 19% | 41 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 47/yr | 64/yr | 92 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.6/yr | 5.1/yr | 9 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 96/yr | 112/yr | 87 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 50/yr | 27/yr | 2 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 Nemaha County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June 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