Carroll County, Iowa · Carroll
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Carroll County averages 66 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 45% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.8 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Carroll County gets about 6.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 95 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
16% of occupied homes in Carroll County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 27 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 20,594 people live in Carroll County, 569 square miles in western Iowa, in roughly 9,560 homes. The county seat is Carroll, and Manning, Coon Rapids and Glidden round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1964.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Carroll County ranks 56 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Carroll County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
For frozen pipes, Carroll County is a typical Iowa county, which is still plenty. It averaged 142 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 February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -25°F, and in the stretch ending February 2019 the county went 19 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 17 and the last spring freeze around Apr 26.
Rainfall is about average for Iowa. About 6.8 days a year bring an inch or more (61st of 99), most often in August, out of 33.1 inches of total precipitation. On August 20, 2018, 3.4 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.74 inches (through August 21, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 95 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
Roughly 72% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Carroll near the middle of Iowa's 99 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 45% of homes are pre-1960 and 13% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
Beyond water
Carroll County averages 27 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Carroll County it's 58% utility gas, 24% electric, 16% 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 Carroll County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Calhoun and Sac get more pipe-freeze nights than Carroll. Audubon County has the oldest housing nearby, with 84% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Carroll | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 48% | 57 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 72% | 73% | 52 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 13% | 50 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 0.9% | 3.2% | 94 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 7.9% | 9.5% | 74 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 22% | 75 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 66/yr | 62/yr | 36 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.8/yr | 7.1/yr | 61 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 95/yr | 94/yr | 29 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 27/yr | 29/yr | 57 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 Carroll County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June and August.
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