Monroe County, Iowa · Albia
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Monroe County averages 52 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 41% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.2 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Monroe County gets about 6.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Monroe County, 2.84 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
39% of occupied homes in Monroe County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 39 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
Monroe County covers 434 square miles of southern Iowa, with about 7,513 residents and 3,656 homes. Albia is the county seat; Lovilia and Melrose are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1970, half after.
29/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Monroe County ranks 97 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Monroe County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Iowa, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 52 nights a year at or below 20°F (84th of 99) and 128 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 16 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. The coldest night reached about -21°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 20 and end around Apr 23.
Monroe gets fewer downpours than most Iowa counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 34.7 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 6.2 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 81st of 99. May, July and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.84 inches, November 5, 2022. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.6 inches, ending October 8, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 92 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
Roughly 64% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Monroe among the newer housing stocks of Iowa's 99 counties.
The mix runs from 41% built before 1960 to 13% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
23% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Here 9% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
16% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 39 times a year here, above the Iowa county median of 29. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Monroe County it's 44% utility gas, 17% electric, 34% propane and 5% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Iowa norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Monroe County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Appanoose, Lucas, Mahaska and Marion get more pipe-freeze nights than Monroe. Wapello County has the oldest housing nearby, with 76% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Monroe | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 48% | 74 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 64% | 73% | 78 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 13% | 55 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.1% | 3.2% | 4 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 9.5% | 13 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 39% | 22% | 11 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 52/yr | 62/yr | 84 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.2/yr | 7.1/yr | 81 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 92/yr | 94/yr | 67 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 39/yr | 29/yr | 15 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 Monroe County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, 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