Green Lake County, Wisconsin · Green Lake
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With 38% of homes built before 1960 and about 66 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in August. Green Lake County averages 7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Green Lake County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Green Lake County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.33 inches, and about 97 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
27% of occupied homes in Green Lake 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 16 times a year in Green Lake County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 10,772 homes and around 19,263 residents, Green Lake County is 350 square miles of southern Wisconsin. The county seat is Green Lake, and Berlin, Markesan and Princeton round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1971.
60/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Green Lake County ranks 16 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Green Lake County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
For frozen pipes, Green Lake County is a typical Wisconsin county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 66 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 150 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 45th of 72 counties.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -30°F, and in the stretch ending January 2018 the county went 17 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 18 and the last spring freeze around May 5.
Rainfall is about average for Wisconsin. About 7 days a year bring an inch or more (27th of 72), most often in August, out of 36.8 inches of total precipitation. On October 23, 2020, 3.33 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.2 inches (through August 29, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 97 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
65% of homes in Green Lake County predate 1980, above the Wisconsin county median of 54.1%, which ranks 6th of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Before 1960 is when 38% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
With 23% 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 16 nights a year in Green Lake County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (21st of 72 counties). August 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, Green Lake County homes break down as 57% utility gas, 14% electric, 21% propane and 6% 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 Green Lake County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Marquette and Waushara get more pipe-freeze nights than Green Lake. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Green Lake | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 38% | 31% | 20 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 65% | 54% | 6 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 15% | 21% | 69 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.8% | 4.8% | 46 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 23% | 12% | 23 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 33% | 45 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 66/yr | 73/yr | 45 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7/yr | 6.3/yr | 27 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 97/yr | 94/yr | 21 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 16/yr | 11/yr | 21 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 Green Lake 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