Washington County, Nebraska · Blair
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Washington County averages 54 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 33% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Washington County averages 6.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Washington County spike on heavy-rain days, about 6.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 91 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
21% of occupied homes in Washington County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 47 times a year in Washington County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Washington County covers 390 square miles of eastern Nebraska, with about 21,106 residents and 8,711 homes. The county seat is Blair, and Arlington, Fort Calhoun and Kennard round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1976, half after.
45/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Washington County ranks 68 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Washington County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Nebraska, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 54 nights a year at or below 20°F (73rd of 93) and 130 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 20 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2019. The coldest night reached about -24°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 20 and end around Apr 20.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Nebraska. The county gets about 32.2 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, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.09 inches on August 20, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.31 inches, ending September 25, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 91 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
55% of homes in Washington County predate 1980, below the Nebraska county median of 73.1%, which ranks 87th of Nebraska's 93 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 20% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
25% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Beyond water
Washington County averages 47 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Washington County homes break down as 45% utility gas, 30% electric, 21% 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 Washington County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Burt and Dodge get more pipe-freeze nights than Washington. Burt County has the oldest housing nearby, with 75% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Washington | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 33% | 49% | 83 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 55% | 73% | 87 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 12% | 12 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.8% | 5% | 74 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 3.2% | 14% | 93 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 21% | 19% | 42 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 54/yr | 64/yr | 73 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.4/yr | 5.1/yr | 10 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 91/yr | 112/yr | 92 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 Washington County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, 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