Tama County, Iowa · Toledo
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Tama County averages 63 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 53% of its homes predate 1960.
August brings the most downpours to Tama County, part of 6.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
53% 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 Tama County, 3.23 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
32% of occupied homes in Tama County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 26 times a year in Tama County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Tama County covers 721 square miles of central Iowa, with about 16,868 residents and 7,595 homes. Besides Toledo, the county seat, the biggest communities are Tama, Dysart and Traer. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1957.
48/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Tama County ranks 55 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Tama County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
For frozen pipes, Tama County is a typical Iowa county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 63 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 47th 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 -29°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 14 and the last spring freeze around Apr 27.
Tama gets fewer downpours than most Iowa counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 34.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.1 days of an inch or more (83rd of 99). Those downpours cluster in August, September and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.23 inches on June 10, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.44 inches (through September 3, 2018).
About 95 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
76% of homes in Tama County predate 1980, close to the Iowa county median of 72.8%, which ranks 35th 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.
With 12% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Tama County averages 26 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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, Tama County homes break down as 50% utility gas, 16% electric, 29% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Tama County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Benton, Black Hawk and Grundy get more pipe-freeze nights than Tama. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Marshall County has the oldest housing nearby, with 78% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Tama | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 53% | 48% | 25 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 76% | 73% | 35 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 13% | 60 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.2% | 3.2% | 47 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 12% | 9.5% | 25 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 32% | 22% | 24 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 63/yr | 62/yr | 47 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.1/yr | 7.1/yr | 83 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 95/yr | 94/yr | 29 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 26/yr | 29/yr | 60 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 Tama County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in August, September 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