Butler County, Iowa · Allison
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Pipes freeze in Butler County on about 68 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 52% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Butler County averages 8 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
52% 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.
Butler County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.13 inches, and about 95 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
24% of occupied homes in Butler County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 22 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 14,268 people live in Butler County, 580 square miles in northern Iowa, in roughly 6,570 homes. Besides Allison, the county seat, the biggest communities are Parkersburg, Shell Rock and Greene. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1958.
65/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Butler County ranks 13 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Butler County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Butler County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Iowa. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 68 nights a year at or below 20°F (30th of 99) and 148 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 17 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -28°F on January 31, 2019.
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 14 and end around Apr 30.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Iowa. About 8 days a year bring an inch or more (20th of 99), most often in June, out of 36.9 inches of total precipitation. On September 20, 2018, 3.13 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.04 inches, ending September 21, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 95 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 Butler near the middle of Iowa's 99 counties.
52% 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
Butler County averages 22 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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 Butler County's occupied homes: 53% utility gas, 22% electric, 21% propane and 3% wood. Wood heat is more common here than in most Iowa counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Butler County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Bremer, Floyd and Franklin get more pipe-freeze nights than Butler. Franklin County has the oldest housing nearby, with 85% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Butler | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 52% | 48% | 31 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 73% | 73% | 47 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 13% | 38 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.8% | 3.2% | 76 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 9.5% | 32 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 22% | 45 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 68/yr | 62/yr | 30 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8/yr | 7.1/yr | 20 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 95/yr | 94/yr | 29 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 22/yr | 29/yr | 71 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 Butler County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, 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