Gogebic County, Michigan · Bessemer
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Gogebic County averages 107 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly October to April, and 57% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 4.2 times a year here, most often in June. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Gogebic County spike on heavy-rain days, about 4.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
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.
27% of occupied homes in Gogebic County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Michigan county median of 29%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about once a year in Gogebic County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 14,319 people live in Gogebic County, 1,102 square miles in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, in roughly 10,394 homes. Besides Bessemer, the county seat, the biggest communities are Ironwood, Wakefield and Ramsay. It has some of the oldest housing in the state: the median home went up in 1955.
75/100 Water Damage Risk Index: High Gogebic County ranks 1 of 83 Michigan counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Gogebic County ranks highest compared with other Michigan counties.
Gogebic County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Michigan. From 2015–2024 it averaged 107 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 189 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 2nd of 83 counties.
On February 1, 2019 the low fell to about -28°F, and in the stretch ending February 2022 the county went 45 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from October 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 5 and end around May 23.
Rainfall is about average for Michigan. The county gets about 36.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.2 days of an inch or more (32nd of 83). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.27 inches on July 12, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.63 inches, ending June 18, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 100 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
Michigan's 83 counties range widely in housing age; Gogebic ranks 2nd, with 79% of its homes built before 1980.
In Gogebic County 57% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
With 33% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Gogebic County averages 1 warm, muggy night 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Gogebic County homes break down as 60% utility gas, 9% electric, 21% propane and 5% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Gogebic County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Iron gets more pipe-freeze nights than Gogebic. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Gogebic | Michigan median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 57% | 32% | 2 of 83 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 79% | 58% | 2 of 83 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 8.1% | 16% | 83 of 83 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2% | 7.3% | 81 of 83 |
| Vacant homes | 33% | 20% | 24 of 83 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 29% | 47 of 83 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 107/yr | 54/yr | 2 of 83 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.2/yr | 3.9/yr | 32 of 83 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 100/yr | 95/yr | 23 of 83 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 1/yr | 10/yr | 77 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 Gogebic County: freezing from October to April, 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