Audubon County, Iowa · Audubon
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Pipes freeze in Audubon County on about 65 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 64% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in August. Audubon County averages 8.2 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
64% 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.
Audubon County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.39 inches, and about 98 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
26% of occupied homes in Audubon County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 24 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 5,599 people live in Audubon County, 443 square miles in western Iowa, in roughly 2,790 homes. Besides Audubon, the county seat, the biggest communities are Exira, Kimballton and Brayton. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1950.
73/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Audubon County ranks 3 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Audubon County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Audubon County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 142 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 65 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 99 Iowa counties that's 42nd.
The longest cold spell was straight 18 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -26°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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 17 and end around Apr 26.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Iowa. The county gets about 34.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.2 days of an inch or more (15th of 99). Those downpours cluster in May, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.39 inches on August 20, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.46 inches, ending August 22, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 98 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Iowa's 99 counties range widely in housing age; Audubon ranks 5th, with 84% of its homes built before 1980.
64% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
Beyond water
About 24 nights a year in Audubon County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (66th of 99 counties). May is the wettest month. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Audubon County homes break down as 46% utility gas, 25% electric, 25% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Audubon County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Carroll gets more pipe-freeze nights than Audubon. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Audubon | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 64% | 48% | 1 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 84% | 73% | 5 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 6.8% | 13% | 94 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 0.9% | 3.2% | 94 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 7% | 9.5% | 86 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 22% | 39 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 65/yr | 62/yr | 42 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.2/yr | 7.1/yr | 15 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 98/yr | 94/yr | 3 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 24/yr | 29/yr | 66 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 Audubon 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