Thurston County, Nebraska · Pender
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Thurston County averages 67 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 41% of its homes predate 1960.
September brings the most downpours to Thurston County, part of 5.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
41% 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 Thurston County, 2.43 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
16% of occupied homes in Thurston County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
About 31 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 2,290 homes and around 6,627 residents, Thurston County is 394 square miles of northeast Nebraska. The county seat is Pender, and Winnebago, Walthill and Macy round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1970.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Thurston County ranks 39 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Thurston County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
For frozen pipes, Thurston 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.
The longest cold spell was straight 32 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2019. The coldest night reached about -28°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 16 and the last spring freeze around Apr 22.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Nebraska. Of roughly 28.7 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 29th of 93. June, August and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.43 inches, August 16, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.89 inches (through September 25, 2015).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 100 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 66% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Thurston among the newer housing stocks of Nebraska's 93 counties.
17% 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.
Renters occupy 39% 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
Thurston County averages 31 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Thurston County homes break down as 48% utility gas, 28% electric, 15% propane and 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Thurston County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Dakota, Dixon and Wayne get more pipe-freeze nights than Thurston. Dixon County has the oldest housing nearby, with 81% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Thurston | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 49% | 67 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 66% | 73% | 69 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 12% | 21 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.8% | 5% | 62 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 14% | 54 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 19% | 65 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 67/yr | 64/yr | 38 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.5/yr | 5.1/yr | 29 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 100/yr | 112/yr | 77 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 31/yr | 27/yr | 36 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 Thurston County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, August and September.
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