Linn County, Iowa · Cedar Rapids
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Linn County averages 62 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 27% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.8 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Linn County gets about 6.8 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 95 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Linn County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 28 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
About 230,004 people live in Linn County, 717 square miles in eastern Iowa, in roughly 103,104 homes. The county seat is Cedar Rapids, and Marion, Hiawatha and Mount Vernon round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1978.
32/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Linn County ranks 93 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Linn County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
For frozen pipes, Linn County is a typical Iowa county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 62 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 143 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 50th of 99 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 24 days below freezing (ending February 2019), and the low bottomed out near -33°F on January 31, 2019.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 16 and the last spring freeze around Apr 27.
Rainfall is about average for Iowa. About 6.8 days a year bring an inch or more (61st of 99), most often in June, out of 36.5 inches of total precipitation. On August 12, 2016, 3.35 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.54 inches (through August 13, 2016).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 95 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
53% of homes in Linn County predate 1980, below the Iowa county median of 72.8%, which ranks 93rd of Iowa's 99 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 27% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 28 times a year here, close to 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Linn County homes break down as 74% utility gas, 19% electric, 5% 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 Linn County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Benton, Buchanan and Delaware get more pipe-freeze nights than Linn. Cedar County has the oldest housing nearby, with 68% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Linn | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 27% | 48% | 95 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 53% | 73% | 93 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 13% | 8 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.4% | 3.2% | 44 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 7.3% | 9.5% | 81 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.4% | 22% | 96 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 62/yr | 62/yr | 50 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.8/yr | 7.1/yr | 61 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 95/yr | 94/yr | 29 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 28/yr | 29/yr | 53 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 Linn 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