Valley County, Nebraska · Ord
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Valley County averages 68 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 49% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.8 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 Valley County gets about 5.8 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 119 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
17% of occupied homes in Valley County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
About 18 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
About 4,066 people live in Valley County, 568 square miles in central Nebraska, in roughly 2,108 homes. The county seat is Ord, and Arcadia, North Loup and Elyria round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1961.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Valley County ranks 21 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Valley County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
For frozen pipes, Valley County is a typical Nebraska county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 68 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 155 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 35th of 93 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 22 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2019. The coldest night reached about -30°F on February 15, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 12 and the last spring freeze around May 8.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Nebraska. The county gets about 26.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.8 days of an inch or more (20th of 93). Those downpours cluster in May, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.92 inches on August 16, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.26 inches (through April 19, 2016).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 119 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
71% of homes in Valley County predate 1980, close to the Nebraska county median of 73.1%, which ranks 54th of Nebraska's 93 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 49% of homes are pre-1960 and 16% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Beyond water
About 18 nights a year in Valley County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (59th 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 expectMain heating fuel in Valley County's occupied homes: 30% utility gas, 51% electric, 15% 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 Valley County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Garfield and Wheeler get more pipe-freeze nights than Valley. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Greeley County has the oldest housing nearby, with 74% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Valley | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 49% | 49% | 45 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 71% | 73% | 54 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 12% | 26 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.2% | 5% | 55 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 14% | 43 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 17% | 19% | 55 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 68/yr | 64/yr | 35 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.8/yr | 5.1/yr | 20 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 119/yr | 112/yr | 37 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 18/yr | 27/yr | 59 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 Valley County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in May, July 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