York County, Nebraska · York
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Pipes freeze in York County on about 56 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 43% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. York County averages 5.8 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in York County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
York County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.5 inches, and about 100 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
14% of occupied homes in York County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Nebraska county median of 19.4%.
With 36 muggy nights a year, mold in York County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 14,286 people live in York County, 573 square miles in southeast Nebraska, in roughly 6,370 homes. The county seat is York, and Henderson, McCool Junction and Bradshaw round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1968.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated York County ranks 63 of 93 Nebraska counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where York County ranks highest compared with other Nebraska counties.
York County is milder than most of Nebraska, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 136 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 56 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 93 Nebraska counties that's 68th.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -29°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 17 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 19 and the last spring freeze around Apr 21.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Nebraska. Of roughly 28.4 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.8 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 20th of 93. May, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.5 inches, March 14, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.73 inches (through March 16, 2021).
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
Nebraska's 93 counties range widely in housing age; York ranks 60th, with 69% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 43% built before 1960 to 14% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 36 times a year here, above the Nebraska county median of 27. 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 expectMain heating fuel in York County's occupied homes: 45% utility gas, 39% electric, 14% propane and under 1% 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 York County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Polk and Seward get more pipe-freeze nights than York. Fillmore County has the oldest housing nearby, with 78% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | York | Nebraska median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 43% | 49% | 63 of 93 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 69% | 73% | 60 of 93 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 14% | 12% | 34 of 93 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.5% | 5% | 68 of 93 |
| Vacant homes | 10% | 14% | 67 of 93 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 19% | 69 of 93 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 56/yr | 64/yr | 68 of 93 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.8/yr | 5.1/yr | 20 of 93 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 100/yr | 112/yr | 77 of 93 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 36/yr | 27/yr | 26 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 York County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June and July.
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