Iron County, Wisconsin · Hurley
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Pipes freeze in Iron County on about 107 nights a year, mostly October to April. Older homes, 39% of the stock here, are most at risk.
June brings the most downpours to Iron County, part of 4.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
39% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Iron County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.9 inches, and about 98 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
44% of occupied homes in Iron County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
About 1 night a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Iron County covers 758 square miles of northern Wisconsin, with about 6,210 residents and 5,566 homes. The county seat is Hurley, and Montreal, Mercer and Pence round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1972, half after.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Iron County ranks 23 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Iron County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Iron County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Wisconsin. From 2015–2024 it averaged 107 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 187 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 2nd of 72 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 42 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2015. The coldest night reached about -31°F on February 1, 2019. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from October 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 4 and end around May 20.
Iron gets fewer downpours than most Wisconsin counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 35.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 4.2 days of an inch or more (68th of 72). Those downpours cluster in June, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.9 inches on June 16, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.89 inches, ending June 18, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 98 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
Roughly 61% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Iron among the oldest housing stocks of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Before 1960 is when 39% 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.
The Census counted 44% of homes as vacant, above the Wisconsin county median of 12%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about once a year here, below 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Iron County it's 41% utility gas, 10% electric, 36% propane and 8% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Wisconsin counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Iron County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Vilas gets more pipe-freeze nights than Iron. Ashland County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Iron | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 39% | 31% | 15 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 61% | 54% | 19 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 21% | 51 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.6% | 4.8% | 56 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 44% | 12% | 7 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 44% | 33% | 23 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 107/yr | 73/yr | 2 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 4.2/yr | 6.3/yr | 68 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 98/yr | 94/yr | 15 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 1/yr | 11/yr | 65 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 Iron County: freezing from October to April, heavy rain in June, August 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