Appanoose County, Iowa · Centerville
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Appanoose County averages 54 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 47% of its homes predate 1960.
September brings the most downpours to Appanoose County, part of 7.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Appanoose County gets about 7.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Appanoose County, 3.69 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
29% of occupied homes in Appanoose County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 37 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 12,184 people live in Appanoose County, 497 square miles in southern Iowa, in roughly 6,312 homes. The county seat is Centerville, and Moravia, Moulton and Cincinnati round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1964, half after.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Appanoose County ranks 62 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Appanoose County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Iowa, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 54 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 71st of 99 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 16 days below freezing (ending January 2018), and the low bottomed out near -20°F on January 2, 2018.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 20 and end around Apr 23.
Rainfall is about average for Iowa. About 7.2 days a year bring an inch or more (42nd of 99), most often in September, out of 37.4 inches of total precipitation. On May 29, 2019, 3.69 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.19 inches, ending May 29, 2019, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 97 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 73% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Appanoose near the middle of Iowa's 99 counties.
The mix runs from 47% built before 1960 to 13% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
The Census counted 18% of homes as vacant, above the Iowa county median of 9.5%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Renters occupy 31% 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
Appanoose County averages 37 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 expectMain heating fuel in Appanoose County's occupied homes: 39% utility gas, 30% electric, 26% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Iowa 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 Appanoose County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Appanoose gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Appanoose | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 47% | 48% | 54 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 73% | 73% | 49 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 13% | 52 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.8% | 3.2% | 23 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 9.5% | 7 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 29% | 22% | 31 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 54/yr | 62/yr | 71 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.2/yr | 7.1/yr | 42 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 97/yr | 94/yr | 11 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 37/yr | 29/yr | 24 of 99 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Iowa county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Appanoose County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July 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