Alcona County, Michigan · Harrisville
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Alcona County averages 64 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 26% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 2.1 times a year here, most often in April. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Alcona County spike on heavy-rain days, about 2.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 104 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
53% of occupied homes in Alcona County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Michigan county median of 29%.
About 6 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 10,397 people live in Alcona County, 675 square miles in northern Lower Michigan, in roughly 10,320 homes. Besides Harrisville, the county seat, the biggest communities are Hubbard Lake, Lost Lake Woods and Lincoln. Half the homes here were built before 1974, half after.
34/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Alcona County ranks 76 of 83 Michigan counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Alcona County ranks highest compared with other Michigan counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Alcona County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 64 nights a year at or below 20°F (29th of 83) and 158 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 41 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2015. The coldest night reached about -23°F on February 20, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to April. 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 14 and end around May 15.
Alcona gets fewer downpours than most Michigan counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 31 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 2.1 days of an inch or more (79th of 83). Those downpours cluster in April, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.43 inches on October 24, 2017. The worst three-day stretch dropped 2.99 inches, ending October 25, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 104 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 62% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Alcona near the middle of Michigan's 83 counties.
The mix runs from 26% built before 1960 to 16% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
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.
Here 9% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
49% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
About 6 nights a year in Alcona County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (52nd of 83 counties). August is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Alcona County homes break down as 37% utility gas, 6% electric, 35% propane and 18% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Michigan norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Alcona County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Alpena and Oscoda get more pipe-freeze nights than Alcona. Alpena County has the oldest housing nearby, with 72% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Alcona | Michigan median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 26% | 32% | 61 of 83 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 58% | 35 of 83 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 16% | 43 of 83 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.3% | 7.3% | 23 of 83 |
| Vacant homes | 49% | 20% | 6 of 83 |
| Wood or propane heat | 53% | 29% | 7 of 83 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 64/yr | 54/yr | 29 of 83 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.1/yr | 3.9/yr | 79 of 83 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 104/yr | 95/yr | 10 of 83 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 6/yr | 10/yr | 52 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 Alcona 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