Webster County, Iowa · Fort Dodge
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Webster County averages 68 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 55% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 5.7 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Webster County gets about 5.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Webster County, 2.54 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
14% of occupied homes in Webster County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Iowa county median of 22.1%.
With 24 muggy nights a year, mold in Webster County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Webster County covers 716 square miles of central Iowa, with about 36,886 residents and 17,082 homes. Fort Dodge is the county seat; Gowrie, Dayton and Coalville are the next largest communities. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1957.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Webster County ranks 43 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Webster County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Webster County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Iowa. It averaged 145 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 68 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 30th.
On January 30, 2019 the low fell to about -25°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 18 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 13 and end around Apr 25.
Webster gets fewer downpours than most Iowa counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 33.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.7 days of an inch or more (93rd of 99). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.54 inches on September 16, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.24 inches, ending August 21, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 96 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
78% of homes in Webster County predate 1980, close to the Iowa county median of 72.8%, which ranks 21st of Iowa's 99 counties.
55% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
Renters occupy 30% 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
Webster County averages 24 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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 Webster County it's 63% utility gas, 22% electric, 13% propane and under 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Webster County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Calhoun, Humboldt, Pocahontas and Wright get more pipe-freeze nights than Webster. Pocahontas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 86% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Webster | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 55% | 48% | 18 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 78% | 73% | 21 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 11% | 13% | 70 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.4% | 3.2% | 64 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 10% | 9.5% | 40 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 22% | 81 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 68/yr | 62/yr | 30 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.7/yr | 7.1/yr | 93 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 96/yr | 94/yr | 24 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 24/yr | 29/yr | 66 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 Webster 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