Mills County, Iowa · Glenwood
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Mills County averages 53 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 38% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.1 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
38% 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 Mills County, 3.21 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
29% of occupied homes in Mills County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 43 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 14,568 people live in Mills County, 437 square miles in southwest Iowa, in roughly 6,134 homes. Glenwood is the county seat; Malvern, Emerson and Silver City are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1972.
37/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Mills County ranks 84 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Mills County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Mills County is milder than most of Iowa, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. From 2015–2024 it averaged 53 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 130 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 79th of 99 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 16 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -24°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 20 and the last spring freeze around Apr 20.
Rainfall is about average for Iowa. The county gets about 33.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.1 days of an inch or more (49th of 99). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.21 inches on August 20, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.94 inches (through August 21, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 94 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
Roughly 61% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Mills among the newer housing stocks of Iowa's 99 counties.
20% 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.
The Census counted 12% of homes as vacant, above the Iowa county median of 9.5%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
About 43 nights a year in Mills County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (4th of 99 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Mills County homes break down as 49% utility gas, 21% electric, 28% propane and under 1% wood. Propane heat is 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 Mills County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Montgomery and Pottawattamie get more pipe-freeze nights than Mills. Montgomery County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Mills | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 38% | 48% | 85 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 61% | 73% | 87 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 13% | 14 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.7% | 3.2% | 40 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 9.5% | 22 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 29% | 22% | 30 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 53/yr | 62/yr | 79 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.1/yr | 7.1/yr | 49 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 94/yr | 94/yr | 42 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 43/yr | 29/yr | 4 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 Mills 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