Clay County, Iowa · Spencer
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Pipes freeze in Clay County on about 76 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 43% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.5 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 Clay County gets about 6.5 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Clay County, 3.34 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
15% of occupied homes in Clay County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
With 22 muggy nights a year, mold in Clay County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 16,461 people live in Clay County, 567 square miles in northwest Iowa, in roughly 8,157 homes. Spencer is the county seat; Royal, Everly and Peterson are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1967.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Clay County ranks 57 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Clay County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Clay is on the colder side of Iowa for pipes. It averaged 152 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 76 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 11th.
On January 30, 2019 the low fell to about -26°F, and in the stretch ending March 2019 the county went 32 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 16 and the last spring freeze around Apr 26.
Clay gets fewer downpours than most Iowa counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 33.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.5 days of an inch or more (71st of 99). Those downpours cluster in May, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.34 inches on June 22, 2024. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.84 inches (through September 21, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 94 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; Clay ranks 57th, with 70% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 43% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 22 times a year here, below the Iowa county median of 29. 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, Clay County homes break down as 50% utility gas, 34% electric, 14% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Clay County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Dickinson and O'Brien get more pipe-freeze nights than Clay. Palo Alto County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Clay | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 43% | 48% | 66 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 70% | 73% | 57 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 13% | 28 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.9% | 3.2% | 74 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 9.5% | 33 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 22% | 79 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 76/yr | 62/yr | 11 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.5/yr | 7.1/yr | 71 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 94/yr | 94/yr | 42 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 Clay 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