Dubuque County, Iowa · Dubuque
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Dubuque County averages 58 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 37% of its homes predate 1960.
September brings the most downpours to Dubuque County, part of 8.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
37% 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.
In Dubuque County, 4.18 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
12% of occupied homes in Dubuque County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 25 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
With 43,288 homes and around 99,030 residents, Dubuque County is 608 square miles of northeast Iowa. The county seat is Dubuque, and Asbury, Dyersville and Cascade round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1970.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Dubuque County ranks 67 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dubuque County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
For frozen pipes, Dubuque County is a typical Iowa county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 58 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 140 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 57th of 99 counties.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -30°F, and in the stretch ending January 2021 the county went 18 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 27.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Iowa. About 8.5 days a year bring an inch or more (10th of 99), most often in September, out of 38.7 inches of total precipitation. On July 22, 2017, 4.18 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.66 inches (through July 22, 2017).
About 88 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Iowa's 99 counties range widely in housing age; Dubuque ranks 82nd, with 63% of its homes built before 1980.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 22% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
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. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Dubuque County's occupied homes: 71% utility gas, 15% electric, 10% propane and 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 Dubuque County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Clayton and Delaware get more pipe-freeze nights than Dubuque. Clayton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 68% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dubuque | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 37% | 48% | 86 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 63% | 73% | 82 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 13% | 10 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.2% | 3.2% | 47 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 5.3% | 9.5% | 96 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 22% | 87 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 58/yr | 62/yr | 57 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.5/yr | 7.1/yr | 10 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 88/yr | 94/yr | 93 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 Dubuque 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