Winnebago County, Iowa · Forest City
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Pipes freeze in Winnebago County on about 78 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 48% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in September. Winnebago County averages 7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
48% 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.
Winnebago County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.3 inches, and about 91 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
26% of occupied homes in Winnebago 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 16 times a year in Winnebago County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 10,583 people live in Winnebago County, 400 square miles in northern Iowa, in roughly 5,077 homes. Besides Forest City, the county seat, the biggest communities are Lake Mills, Buffalo Center and Thompson. Half the homes here were built before 1962, half after.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Winnebago County ranks 35 of 99 Iowa counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Winnebago County ranks highest compared with other Iowa counties.
Winnebago County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Iowa. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 78 nights a year at or below 20°F (5th of 99) and 155 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -28°F, and in the stretch ending February 2019 the county went 19 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 13 and end around May 1.
Rainfall is about average for Iowa. The county gets about 35.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7 days of an inch or more (52nd of 99). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.3 inches on September 22, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.21 inches, ending September 21, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 91 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
Roughly 84% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Winnebago among the oldest housing stocks of Iowa's 99 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 48% predate 1960 and 7% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
Beyond water
Winnebago County averages 16 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Winnebago County's occupied homes: 56% utility gas, 17% electric, 26% propane and under 1% wood. Propane 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 Winnebago County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Winnebago gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Winnebago | Iowa median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 48% | 48% | 51 of 99 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 84% | 73% | 8 of 99 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 6.5% | 13% | 95 of 99 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.1% | 3.2% | 69 of 99 |
| Vacant homes | 8.6% | 9.5% | 61 of 99 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 22% | 41 of 99 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 78/yr | 62/yr | 5 of 99 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7/yr | 7.1/yr | 52 of 99 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 91/yr | 94/yr | 78 of 99 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 16/yr | 29/yr | 94 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 Winnebago County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in May, June 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