Koochiching County, Minnesota · International Falls
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Koochiching County averages 115 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly October to April, and 32% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Koochiching County averages 3.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Koochiching County spike on heavy-rain days, about 3.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 86 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
30% of occupied homes in Koochiching County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Minnesota county median of 30%.
With 2 muggy nights a year, mold in Koochiching County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 7,426 homes and around 11,833 residents, Koochiching County is 3,105 square miles of northern Minnesota. International Falls is the county seat; Littlefork, Ranier and Northome are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1972, half after.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Koochiching County ranks 56 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Koochiching County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
Koochiching County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Minnesota. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 115 nights a year at or below 20°F (7th of 87) and 184 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 60 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2019. The coldest night reached about -45°F on January 31, 2019. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from October to April, peaking in December. 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 2 and end around May 13.
Koochiching gets fewer downpours than most Minnesota counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 26.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 3.1 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 77th of 87. June, August and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.03 inches, July 2, 2024. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.04 inches, ending April 25, 2022, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 86 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
Roughly 65% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Koochiching near the middle of Minnesota's 87 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 32% of homes are pre-1960 and 13% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
About 22% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
8% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Minnesota county median of 3.8%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
The Census counted 21% of homes as vacant, above the Minnesota county median of 11%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Koochiching County averages 2 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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 Koochiching County's occupied homes: 51% utility gas, 15% electric, 24% propane and 6% wood. Wood heat is more common here than in most Minnesota counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Koochiching County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Lake of the Woods and St. Louis get more pipe-freeze nights than Koochiching. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. St. Louis County has the oldest housing nearby, with 70% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Koochiching | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 32% | 34% | 50 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 65% | 58% | 35 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 21% | 63 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 7.6% | 3.8% | 17 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 21% | 11% | 19 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 30% | 30% | 48 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 115/yr | 89/yr | 7 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 3.1/yr | 5.3/yr | 77 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 86/yr | 86/yr | 44 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 2/yr | 13/yr | 79 of 87 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Minnesota county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Koochiching County: freezing from October to April, heavy rain in June, 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