Wapello County, Iowa · Ottumwa
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Pipes freeze in Wapello County on about 50 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 52% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Wapello County averages 4.9 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
52% 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.
Wapello County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.68 inches, and about 91 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
15% of occupied homes in Wapello County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
With 40 muggy nights a year, mold in Wapello County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 15,730 homes and around 35,362 residents, Wapello County is 432 square miles of southeast Iowa. Ottumwa is the county seat; Eldon, Agency and Blakesburg are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1958.
37/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Wapello County ranks 85 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Wapello County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Iowa, and pipes still freeze. It averaged 127 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 50 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 99 Iowa counties that's 91st.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -23°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 16 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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.
Wapello gets fewer downpours than most Iowa counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 33.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.9 days of an inch or more (99th of 99). Those downpours cluster in May, July and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.68 inches on May 29, 2019. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.62 inches, ending July 31, 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
Iowa's 99 counties range widely in housing age; Wapello ranks 29th, with 76% of its homes built before 1980.
In Wapello County 52% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
Renters occupy 32% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
About 40 nights a year in Wapello County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (11th of 99 counties). May 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Wapello County it's 64% utility gas, 19% electric, 13% propane and 2% wood. Wood heat is 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 Wapello County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska and Monroe get more pipe-freeze nights than Wapello. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Keokuk County has the oldest housing nearby, with 80% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Wapello | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 52% | 48% | 28 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 76% | 73% | 29 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 9.2% | 13% | 86 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.2% | 3.2% | 31 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 9.5% | 30 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 15% | 22% | 78 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 50/yr | 62/yr | 91 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.9/yr | 7.1/yr | 99 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 91/yr | 94/yr | 78 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 40/yr | 29/yr | 11 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 Wapello 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