Black Hawk County, Iowa · Waterloo
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Pipes freeze in Black Hawk County on about 66 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 41% of the stock here, are most at risk.
September brings the most downpours to Black Hawk County, part of 7.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Black Hawk County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Black Hawk County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.02 inches, and about 96 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
5% of occupied homes in Black Hawk County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 25 times a year in Black Hawk County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 58,991 homes and around 131,049 residents, Black Hawk County is 566 square miles of northeast Iowa. Besides Waterloo, the county seat, the biggest communities are Cedar Falls, Evansdale and Hudson. The county's median home was built in 1966.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Black Hawk County ranks 50 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Black Hawk County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
For frozen pipes, Black Hawk County is a typical Iowa county, which is still plenty. It averaged 147 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 66 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 36th.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -31°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 14 and the last spring freeze around Apr 28.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Iowa. The county gets about 36.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.7 days of an inch or more (27th of 99). Those downpours cluster in June, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.02 inches on June 10, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.66 inches (through September 21, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 96 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
70% of homes in Black Hawk County predate 1980, close to the Iowa county median of 72.8%, which ranks 55th of Iowa's 99 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 41% predate 1960 and 17% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
Renters occupy 34% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 25 times a year here, below the Iowa county median of 29. 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, Black Hawk County homes break down as 63% utility gas, 30% electric, 5% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Black Hawk County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bremer, Buchanan and Butler get more pipe-freeze nights than Black Hawk. Tama County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Black Hawk | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 48% | 74 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 70% | 73% | 55 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 13% | 31 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3% | 3.2% | 52 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 7.5% | 9.5% | 79 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.3% | 22% | 97 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 66/yr | 62/yr | 36 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.7/yr | 7.1/yr | 27 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 96/yr | 94/yr | 24 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 25/yr | 29/yr | 63 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 Black Hawk County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, September and October.
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