Clarke County, Iowa · Osceola
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Pipes freeze in Clarke County on about 53 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 30% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.7 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Clarke County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 93 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
30% of occupied homes in Clarke County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 40 times a year in Clarke County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Clarke County covers 431 square miles of southern Iowa, with about 9,662 residents and 4,522 homes. Osceola is the county seat; Murray and Woodburn are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1975, half after.
39/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Clarke County ranks 79 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clarke 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 53 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 129 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 79th of 99 counties.
On January 30, 2019 the low fell to about -22°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 16 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 20 and end around Apr 22.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Iowa. Of roughly 34.9 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 7.7 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 27th of 99. June, July and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.88 inches, November 5, 2022. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.57 inches, ending October 9, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 93 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
Iowa's 99 counties range widely in housing age; Clarke ranks 84th, with 63% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 21% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
Here 7% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
About 40 nights a year in Clarke County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (11th of 99 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Clarke County it's 36% utility gas, 32% electric, 22% propane and 8% 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 Clarke County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Madison and Union get more pipe-freeze nights than Clarke. Lucas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 75% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clarke | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 30% | 48% | 92 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 63% | 73% | 84 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 13% | 11 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.3% | 3.2% | 9 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 10% | 9.5% | 40 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 30% | 22% | 29 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 53/yr | 62/yr | 79 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.7/yr | 7.1/yr | 27 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 93/yr | 94/yr | 54 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 40/yr | 29/yr | 11 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 Clarke 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