Jackson County, Iowa · Maquoketa
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Pipes freeze in Jackson County on about 54 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 40% of the stock here, are most at risk.
September brings the most downpours to Jackson County, part of 9 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Jackson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 9 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Jackson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.6 inches, and about 89 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
33% of occupied homes in Jackson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
With 31 muggy nights a year, mold in Jackson County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 9,282 homes and around 19,390 residents, Jackson County is 636 square miles of eastern Iowa. Besides Maquoketa, the county seat, the biggest communities are Bellevue, Preston and Sabula. The county's median home was built in 1970.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Jackson County ranks 58 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jackson County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Jackson County is milder than most of Iowa, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 132 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 54 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 71st.
The longest cold spell was straight 16 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -30°F on January 31, 2019. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 21 and the last spring freeze around Apr 24.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Iowa. About 9 days a year bring an inch or more (4th of 99), most often in September, out of 38.8 inches of total precipitation. On July 22, 2017, 3.6 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.83 inches (through July 22, 2017).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 89 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
68% of homes in Jackson County predate 1980, close to the Iowa county median of 72.8%, which ranks 63rd of Iowa's 99 counties.
18% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Iowa. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
Beyond water
Jackson County averages 31 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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, Jackson County homes break down as 54% utility gas, 10% electric, 29% propane and 4% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Iowa counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Jackson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Dubuque and Jones get more pipe-freeze nights than Jackson. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Clinton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 77% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jackson | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 40% | 48% | 77 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 68% | 73% | 63 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 13% | 27 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.8% | 3.2% | 11 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 9.5% | 29 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 33% | 22% | 20 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 54/yr | 62/yr | 71 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 9/yr | 7.1/yr | 4 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 89/yr | 94/yr | 89 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 Jackson County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July 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