Wexford County, Michigan · Cadillac
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Pipes freeze in Wexford County on about 67 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 28% of the stock here, are most at risk.
October brings the most downpours to Wexford County, part of 4.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Wexford County spike on heavy-rain days, about 4.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Wexford County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.61 inches, and about 107 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
40% of occupied homes in Wexford County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Michigan county median of 29%.
With 5 muggy nights a year, mold in Wexford County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Wexford County covers 565 square miles of central Lower Michigan, with about 34,077 residents and 16,585 homes. Cadillac is the county seat; Manton, Buckley and Mesick are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1979.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Wexford County ranks 36 of 83 Michigan counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Wexford County ranks highest compared with other Michigan counties.
Wexford is on the colder side of Michigan for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 67 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 163 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 24th of 83 counties.
On February 20, 2015 the low fell to about -24°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 27 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 14 and the last spring freeze around May 16.
Rainfall is about average for Michigan. About 4.2 days a year bring an inch or more (32nd of 83), most often in October, out of 35.4 inches of total precipitation. On October 24, 2017, 2.61 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.92 inches (through October 25, 2017).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 107 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
52% of homes in Wexford County predate 1980, below the Michigan county median of 58.4%, which ranks 65th of Michigan's 83 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 28% of homes are pre-1960 and 20% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
28% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Here 14% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 5 times a year here, below the Michigan county median of 10. 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 Wexford County's occupied homes: 49% utility gas, 8% electric, 29% propane and 10% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Wexford County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Missaukee gets more pipe-freeze nights than Wexford. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Manistee County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Wexford | Michigan median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 28% | 32% | 51 of 83 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 52% | 58% | 65 of 83 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 16% | 20 of 83 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 7.3% | 11 of 83 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 20% | 45 of 83 |
| Wood or propane heat | 40% | 29% | 26 of 83 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 67/yr | 54/yr | 24 of 83 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.2/yr | 3.9/yr | 32 of 83 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 107/yr | 95/yr | 5 of 83 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 5/yr | 10/yr | 57 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 Wexford County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in July, August 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