Greene County, Iowa · Jefferson
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Pipes freeze in Greene County on about 63 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 57% of the stock here, are most at risk.
August brings the most downpours to Greene County, part of 7.5 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
57% 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.
Greene County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.65 inches, and about 94 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
24% of occupied homes in Greene County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 31 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 4,319 homes and around 8,688 residents, Greene County is 570 square miles of western Iowa. Jefferson is the county seat; Grand Junction, Scranton and Churdan are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1954.
68/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Greene County ranks 6 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Greene County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Greene County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 140 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 63 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 47th.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -23°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 18 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs November to March, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 16 and end around Apr 23.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Iowa. About 7.5 days a year bring an inch or more (32nd of 99), most often in August, out of 33.9 inches of total precipitation. On September 16, 2016, 2.65 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.02 inches, ending June 21, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 94 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
Iowa's 99 counties range widely in housing age; Greene ranks 34th, with 76% of its homes built before 1980.
In Greene County 57% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 31 times a year here, close to the Iowa county median of 29. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Greene County it's 51% utility gas, 24% electric, 23% 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 Greene County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Calhoun, Carroll and Webster get more pipe-freeze nights than Greene. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Calhoun County has the oldest housing nearby, with 81% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Greene | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 57% | 48% | 10 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 76% | 73% | 34 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 11% | 13% | 66 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.4% | 3.2% | 44 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 9.2% | 9.5% | 53 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 22% | 46 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 63/yr | 62/yr | 47 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.5/yr | 7.1/yr | 32 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 94/yr | 94/yr | 42 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 31/yr | 29/yr | 42 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 Greene 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