Montmorency County, Michigan · Atlanta
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Montmorency County averages 71 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 26% of its homes predate 1960.
July brings the most downpours to Montmorency County, part of 1.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
26% 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.
In Montmorency County, 2.34 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
37% of occupied homes in Montmorency County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Michigan county median of 29%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 4 times a year in Montmorency County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 9,516 people live in Montmorency County, 547 square miles in northern Lower Michigan, in roughly 8,925 homes. Atlanta is the county seat; Lewiston, Hillman and Canada Creek Ranch are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1975.
38/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Montmorency County ranks 68 of 83 Michigan counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Montmorency County ranks highest compared with other Michigan counties.
Montmorency is on the colder side of Michigan for pipes. It averaged 164 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 71 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 17th.
The longest cold spell was straight 41 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2015. The coldest night reached about -28°F on February 20, 2015. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs November to April, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 12 and the last spring freeze around May 16.
Montmorency gets fewer downpours than most Michigan counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 30.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 1.8 days of an inch or more (81st of 83). Those downpours cluster in June, July and October, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.34 inches on October 24, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.37 inches (through October 25, 2017).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 103 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
Michigan's 83 counties range widely in housing age; Montmorency ranks 33rd, with 62% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 26% built before 1960 to 11% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 27% 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 Michigan county median of 7.3%. 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.
With 45% 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
About 4 nights a year in Montmorency County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (61st of 83 counties). October is the wettest month. 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, Montmorency County homes break down as 55% utility gas, 6% electric, 24% propane and 13% wood. Wood heat is 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 Montmorency County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Otsego gets more pipe-freeze nights than Montmorency. Alpena County has the oldest housing nearby, with 72% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Montmorency | Michigan median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 26% | 32% | 56 of 83 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 62% | 58% | 33 of 83 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 11% | 16% | 74 of 83 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 8.4% | 7.3% | 29 of 83 |
| Vacant homes | 45% | 20% | 7 of 83 |
| Wood or propane heat | 37% | 29% | 31 of 83 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 71/yr | 54/yr | 17 of 83 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 1.8/yr | 3.9/yr | 81 of 83 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 103/yr | 95/yr | 14 of 83 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 4/yr | 10/yr | 61 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 Montmorency County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in June, July and October.
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