Dane County, Wisconsin · Madison
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Dane County averages 61 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 21% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.8 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 Dane County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 92 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Dane County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 22 times a year in Dane County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 572,674 people live in Dane County, 1,196 square miles in southern Wisconsin, in roughly 261,061 homes. Besides Madison, the county seat, the biggest communities are Sun Prairie, Fitchburg and Middleton. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
40/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Dane County ranks 59 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dane County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Wisconsin, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 61 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 141 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 62nd of 72 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 17 days below freezing (ending February 2019), and the low bottomed out near -30°F on January 31, 2019.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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 18 and end around May 3.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Wisconsin. About 7.8 days a year bring an inch or more (16th of 72), most often in June, out of 39.1 inches of total precipitation. On August 21, 2018, 3.33 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.19 inches, ending July 22, 2017, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 92 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
Wisconsin's 72 counties range widely in housing age; Dane ranks 70th, with 43% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 33% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 24% 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.
Renters occupy 43% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 22 times a year here, above the Wisconsin county median of 11. 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 Dane County's occupied homes: 68% utility gas, 25% electric, 5% propane and under 1% 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 Dane County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Columbia, Dodge, Iowa and Sauk get more pipe-freeze nights than Dane. Rock County has the oldest housing nearby, with 65% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dane | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 31% | 65 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 43% | 54% | 70 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 33% | 21% | 3 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 0.8% | 4.8% | 69 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 3.7% | 12% | 70 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5% | 33% | 67 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 61/yr | 73/yr | 62 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.8/yr | 6.3/yr | 16 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 92/yr | 94/yr | 44 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 22/yr | 11/yr | 5 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 Dane County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, July and September.
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