Warren County, Iowa · Indianola
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Pipes freeze in Warren County on about 53 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 19% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Warren County averages 7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Warren County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Warren County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.8 inches, and about 90 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
20% of occupied homes in Warren County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
About 42 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
With 21,921 homes and around 54,409 residents, Warren County is 570 square miles of southern Iowa. Besides Indianola, the county seat, the biggest communities are Norwalk, Carlisle and Hartford. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
32/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Warren County ranks 94 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Warren County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Warren County is milder than most of Iowa, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 53 nights a year at or below 20°F (79th 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 -23°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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 18 and the last spring freeze around Apr 23.
Rainfall is about average for Iowa. About 7 days a year bring an inch or more (52nd of 99), most often in July, out of 35 inches of total precipitation. On July 29, 2015, 2.8 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.06 inches (through July 29, 2015).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 90 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
46% of homes in Warren County predate 1980, below the Iowa county median of 72.8%, which ranks 97th of Iowa's 99 counties.
36% 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.
Beyond water
About 42 nights a year in Warren County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (5th of 99 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Warren County it's 54% utility gas, 24% electric, 19% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Warren County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Madison, Marion and Polk get more pipe-freeze nights than Warren. Lucas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 75% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Warren | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 19% | 48% | 97 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 46% | 73% | 97 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 36% | 13% | 3 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.3% | 3.2% | 46 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 5.7% | 9.5% | 94 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 20% | 22% | 65 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 53/yr | 62/yr | 79 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7/yr | 7.1/yr | 52 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 90/yr | 94/yr | 84 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 42/yr | 29/yr | 5 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 Warren County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in July, August 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