Crow Wing County, Minnesota · Brainerd
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Crow Wing County averages 96 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 17% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in July. Crow Wing County averages 4.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Crow Wing County gets about 4.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 87 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
22% of occupied homes in Crow Wing County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Minnesota county median of 30%.
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
With 42,683 homes and around 67,686 residents, Crow Wing County is 998 square miles of central Minnesota. Besides Brainerd, the county seat, the biggest communities are Baxter, Breezy Point and Crosslake. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1988.
36/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Crow Wing County ranks 76 of 87 Minnesota counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Crow Wing County ranks highest compared with other Minnesota counties.
Crow Wing is on the colder side of Minnesota for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 96 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 169 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 28th of 87 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 59 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2019. The coldest night reached about -36°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 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 11 and the last spring freeze around May 9.
Rainfall is about average for Minnesota. The county gets about 29.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.7 days of an inch or more (57th of 87). Those downpours cluster in June, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.38 inches on July 12, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 6.72 inches (through July 12, 2016).
About 87 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Minnesota's 87 counties range widely in housing age; Crow Wing ranks 79th, with 39% of its homes built before 1980.
30% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Minnesota. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 31% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
With 31% 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 6 nights a year in Crow Wing County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (64th of 87 counties). August is the wettest month. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Crow Wing County it's 54% utility gas, 21% electric, 18% propane and 4% wood. Wood heat is above the Minnesota 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 Crow Wing County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Aitkin and Cass get more pipe-freeze nights than Crow Wing. Morrison County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Crow Wing | Minnesota median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 17% | 34% | 77 of 87 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 39% | 58% | 79 of 87 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 30% | 21% | 14 of 87 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5% | 3.8% | 30 of 87 |
| Vacant homes | 31% | 11% | 8 of 87 |
| Wood or propane heat | 22% | 30% | 59 of 87 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 96/yr | 89/yr | 28 of 87 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.7/yr | 5.3/yr | 57 of 87 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 87/yr | 86/yr | 37 of 87 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 6/yr | 13/yr | 64 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 Crow Wing County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in June, July 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