Iosco County, Michigan · Tawas City
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Pipes freeze in Iosco County on about 57 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 29% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 3.2 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Iosco County gets about 3.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 100 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
24% of occupied homes in Iosco County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Michigan county median of 29%.
About 9 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
About 25,347 people live in Iosco County, 549 square miles in southeast Michigan, in roughly 20,061 homes. Tawas City is the county seat; East Tawas, Au Sable and Sand Lake are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1972.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Iosco County ranks 61 of 83 Michigan counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Iosco County ranks highest compared with other Michigan counties.
For frozen pipes, Iosco County is a typical Michigan county, which is still plenty. It averaged 148 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 57 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 83 Michigan counties that's 37th.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -22°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 41 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from November to April, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 18 and the last spring freeze around May 14.
Iosco gets fewer downpours than most Michigan counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 32.3 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 3.2 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 65th of 83. April, June and August see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.45 inches, October 24, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.55 inches (through May 20, 2020).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 100 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 67% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Iosco among the oldest housing stocks of Michigan's 83 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 29% predate 1960 and 12% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The Census counted 42% of homes as vacant, above the Michigan county median of 19.5%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 9 times a year here, close to the Michigan county median of 10. 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 Iosco County it's 66% utility gas, 8% electric, 17% propane and 7% 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 Iosco County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Alcona and Ogemaw get more pipe-freeze nights than Iosco. Huron County has the oldest housing nearby, with 68% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Iosco | Michigan median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 29% | 32% | 47 of 83 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 67% | 58% | 17 of 83 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 12% | 16% | 71 of 83 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.8% | 7.3% | 46 of 83 |
| Vacant homes | 42% | 20% | 10 of 83 |
| Wood or propane heat | 24% | 29% | 56 of 83 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 57/yr | 54/yr | 37 of 83 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.2/yr | 3.9/yr | 65 of 83 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 100/yr | 95/yr | 23 of 83 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 9/yr | 10/yr | 43 of 83 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Michigan county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Iosco County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, 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