Humboldt County, Iowa · Dakota City
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With 49% of homes built before 1960 and about 72 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 5.7 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
49% 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 Humboldt County, 2.4 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
31% of occupied homes in Humboldt County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
With 21 muggy nights a year, mold in Humboldt County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 9,591 people live in Humboldt County, 434 square miles in northern Iowa, in roughly 4,603 homes. The county seat is Dakota City, and Humboldt, Gilmore City and Livermore round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1961.
45/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Humboldt County ranks 64 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Humboldt County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Humboldt is on the colder side of Iowa for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 72 nights a year at or below 20°F (18th of 99) and 148 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 19 days below freezing (ending February 2019), and the low bottomed out near -26°F on January 30, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 13 and the last spring freeze around Apr 26.
Humboldt gets fewer downpours than most Iowa counties, but they still fill basements. About 5.7 days a year bring an inch or more (93rd of 99), most often in August, out of 32 inches of total precipitation. On September 16, 2016, 2.4 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.88 inches (through August 19, 2015).
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
Roughly 76% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Humboldt among the oldest housing stocks of Iowa's 99 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 49% predate 1960 and 15% 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 21 times a year here, below the Iowa county median of 29. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Humboldt County's occupied homes: 41% utility gas, 27% electric, 30% propane and 1% wood. Propane heat is above the Iowa norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Humboldt County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Kossuth and Pocahontas get more pipe-freeze nights than Humboldt. Pocahontas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Humboldt | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 49% | 48% | 45 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 76% | 73% | 31 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 13% | 43 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.3% | 3.2% | 90 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 8.3% | 9.5% | 68 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 31% | 22% | 27 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 72/yr | 62/yr | 18 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.7/yr | 7.1/yr | 93 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 94/yr | 94/yr | 42 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 21/yr | 29/yr | 79 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 Humboldt 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