Chippewa County, Wisconsin · Chippewa Falls
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Pipes freeze in Chippewa County on about 84 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 31% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.3 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Chippewa County gets about 6.3 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 94 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
31% of occupied homes in Chippewa County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 6 times a year in Chippewa County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 29,366 homes and around 66,799 residents, Chippewa County is 1,008 square miles of western Wisconsin. The county seat is Chippewa Falls, and Lake Hallie, Stanley and Bloomer round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1978.
54/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Chippewa County ranks 28 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Chippewa County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Chippewa is on the colder side of Wisconsin for pipes. From 2015–2024 it averaged 84 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 162 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 21st of 72 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 31 days below freezing (ending March 2019), and the low bottomed out near -32°F on January 31, 2019.
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 10 and the last spring freeze around May 7.
Rainfall is about average for Wisconsin. About 6.3 days a year bring an inch or more (36th of 72), most often in August, out of 33.7 inches of total precipitation. On September 22, 2016, 2.92 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.16 inches (through September 22, 2016).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 94 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
Wisconsin's 72 counties range widely in housing age; Chippewa ranks 39th, with 54% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 31% predate 1960 and 25% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
Beyond water
Chippewa County averages 6 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Chippewa County's occupied homes: 47% utility gas, 18% electric, 26% propane and 5% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Chippewa County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Barron, Rusk and Taylor get more pipe-freeze nights than Chippewa. Clark County has the oldest housing nearby, with 63% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Chippewa | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 31% | 31% | 35 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 54% | 54% | 39 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 21% | 19 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.7% | 4.8% | 38 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 7.6% | 12% | 46 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 31% | 33% | 39 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 84/yr | 73/yr | 21 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.3/yr | 6.3/yr | 36 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 94/yr | 94/yr | 31 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 6/yr | 11/yr | 49 of 72 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Wisconsin county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Chippewa County: freezing from November 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