Saunders County, Nebraska · Wahoo
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Saunders County averages 52 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 34% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Saunders County averages 6.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Saunders County gets about 6.4 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 94 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
25% of occupied homes in Saunders County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 47 times a year in Saunders County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 23,048 people live in Saunders County, 749 square miles in eastern Nebraska, in roughly 10,276 homes. The county seat is Wahoo, and Ashland, Yutan and Ceresco round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1973.
45/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Saunders County ranks 67 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Saunders County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Saunders County is milder than most of Nebraska, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 52 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 130 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 78th of 93 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 17 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -26°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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 18 and the last spring freeze around Apr 20.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Nebraska. The county gets about 31.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.4 days of an inch or more (10th of 93). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.11 inches on May 7, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.79 inches (through August 31, 2021).
About 94 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; Saunders ranks 82nd, with 62% of its homes built before 1980.
22% 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.
Beyond water
About 47 nights a year in Saunders County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (7th of 93 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 Saunders County it's 32% utility gas, 39% electric, 23% propane and 2% 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 Saunders County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Butler and Dodge get more pipe-freeze nights than Saunders. Dodge County has the oldest housing nearby, with 68% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Saunders | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 49% | 81 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 73% | 82 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 12% | 8 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3% | 5% | 72 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 14% | 53 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 25% | 19% | 35 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 52/yr | 64/yr | 78 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.4/yr | 5.1/yr | 10 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 94/yr | 112/yr | 89 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 47/yr | 27/yr | 7 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 Saunders 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