Jackson County, Wisconsin · Black River Falls
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Pipes freeze in Jackson County on about 76 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 31% of the stock here, are most at risk.
August brings the most downpours to Jackson County, part of 8.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Jackson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Jackson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.35 inches, and about 91 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
48% of occupied homes in Jackson County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
With 12 muggy nights a year, mold in Jackson County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 9,750 homes and around 20,981 residents, Jackson County is 988 square miles of western Wisconsin. Besides Black River Falls, the county seat, the biggest communities are Alma Center, Melrose and Merrillan. The county's median home was built in 1979.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Jackson County ranks 17 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jackson County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
For frozen pipes, Jackson County is a typical Wisconsin county, which is still plenty. It averaged 155 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 76 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 72 Wisconsin counties that's 33rd.
The longest cold spell was straight 26 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2015. The coldest night reached about -34°F on January 31, 2019. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 14 and the last spring freeze around May 5.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Wisconsin. About 8.3 days a year bring an inch or more (12th of 72), most often in August, out of 37.4 inches of total precipitation. On September 22, 2016, 3.35 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.29 inches (through September 22, 2016).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 91 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
51% of homes in Jackson County predate 1980, close to the Wisconsin county median of 54.1%, which ranks 48th of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
26% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Wisconsin. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
23% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Here 11% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
The Census counted 15% 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
Jackson County averages 12 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Jackson County homes break down as 33% utility gas, 14% electric, 39% propane and 10% 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 Jackson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Clark, Eau Claire, Monroe and Wood get more pipe-freeze nights than Jackson. Wood County has the oldest housing nearby, with 64% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jackson | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 31% | 31% | 40 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 51% | 54% | 48 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 21% | 11 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 4.8% | 4 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 12% | 32 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 48% | 33% | 18 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 76/yr | 73/yr | 33 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.3/yr | 6.3/yr | 12 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 91/yr | 94/yr | 56 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 12/yr | 11/yr | 31 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 Jackson County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in May, 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