Jasper County, Iowa · Newton
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Jasper County averages 56 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 43% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.6 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
43% 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 Jasper County, 2.31 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 Jasper County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 36 times a year in Jasper County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 37,954 people live in Jasper County, 730 square miles in central Iowa, in roughly 16,249 homes. Newton is the county seat; Colfax, Monroe and Prairie City are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1965.
38/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Jasper County ranks 82 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jasper County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
For frozen pipes, Jasper County is a typical Iowa county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 56 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 132 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 64th of 99 counties.
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 -25°F on January 31, 2019.
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 17 and the last spring freeze around Apr 23.
Jasper gets fewer downpours than most Iowa counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 34.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.6 days of an inch or more (68th of 99). Those downpours cluster in July, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.31 inches on October 25, 2021. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.93 inches (through September 3, 2018).
About 89 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; Jasper ranks 51st, with 73% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 43% predate 1960 and 12% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
Beyond water
Jasper County averages 36 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Jasper County homes break down as 56% utility gas, 21% electric, 20% propane and 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 Jasper County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Marshall, Poweshiek and Story get more pipe-freeze nights than Jasper. Marshall County has the oldest housing nearby, with 78% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jasper | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 43% | 48% | 66 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 73% | 73% | 51 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 13% | 57 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3% | 3.2% | 52 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 7.6% | 9.5% | 78 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 21% | 22% | 57 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 56/yr | 62/yr | 64 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.6/yr | 7.1/yr | 68 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 89/yr | 94/yr | 89 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 36/yr | 29/yr | 27 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 Jasper County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in July, August 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