Hardin County, Iowa · Eldora
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With 56% of homes built before 1960 and about 65 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
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 Hardin 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 Hardin County, 3.37 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
21% of occupied homes in Hardin County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 24 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 8,011 homes and around 16,639 residents, Hardin County is 569 square miles of central Iowa. Eldora is the county seat; Iowa Falls, Ackley and Alden are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1956.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hardin County ranks 34 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hardin County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Hardin County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 65 nights a year at or below 20°F (42nd of 99) and 145 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 17 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -26°F on January 31, 2019.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 14 and end around Apr 26.
Hardin gets fewer downpours than most Iowa counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 35.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.5 days of an inch or more (71st of 99). Those downpours cluster in June, August and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.37 inches on August 29, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.43 inches, ending May 22, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 95 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
84% of homes in Hardin County predate 1980, above the Iowa county median of 72.8%, which ranks 6th of Iowa's 99 counties.
Before 1960 is when 56% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
With 12% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Hardin County averages 24 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Hardin County homes break down as 58% utility gas, 18% electric, 21% propane and under 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 Hardin County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Franklin and Hamilton get more pipe-freeze nights than Hardin. Franklin County has the oldest housing nearby, with 85% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hardin | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 56% | 48% | 13 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 84% | 73% | 6 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 5.3% | 13% | 99 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.4% | 3.2% | 64 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 9.5% | 22 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 21% | 22% | 56 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 65/yr | 62/yr | 42 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.5/yr | 7.1/yr | 71 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 95/yr | 94/yr | 29 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 24/yr | 29/yr | 66 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 Hardin County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, August 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