Marshall County, Iowa · Marshalltown
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With 53% of homes built before 1960 and about 60 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 June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Marshall 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 Marshall County, 2.7 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
19% of occupied homes in Marshall County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 30 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
Marshall County covers 573 square miles of central Iowa, with about 40,114 residents and 16,937 homes. The county seat is Marshalltown, and State Center, Melbourne and Le Grand round out the largest towns. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1958.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Marshall County ranks 41 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Marshall County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Marshall County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 60 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 138 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 52nd of 99 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 17 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -26°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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 17 and end around Apr 24.
Marshall gets fewer downpours than most Iowa counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 34.8 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6.5 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 71st of 99. June, July and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.7 inches, August 12, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.25 inches, ending May 22, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 91 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
Roughly 78% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Marshall among the oldest housing stocks of Iowa's 99 counties.
Before 1960 is when 53% 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.
Beyond water
About 30 nights a year in Marshall County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (45th of 99 counties). June is the wettest month. 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, Marshall County homes break down as 58% utility gas, 22% electric, 18% propane and under 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 Marshall County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Grundy, Hardin and Tama get more pipe-freeze nights than Marshall. Hardin County has the oldest housing nearby, with 84% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Marshall | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 53% | 48% | 21 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 78% | 73% | 22 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 11% | 13% | 73 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.7% | 3.2% | 60 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 8.5% | 9.5% | 65 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 22% | 69 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 60/yr | 62/yr | 52 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.5/yr | 7.1/yr | 71 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 91/yr | 94/yr | 78 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 30/yr | 29/yr | 45 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 Marshall County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July 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