Juneau County, Wisconsin · Mauston
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With 26% of homes built before 1960 and about 75 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 8.9 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 Juneau County gets about 8.9 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Juneau County, 3.91 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
45% of occupied homes in Juneau County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
With 10 muggy nights a year, mold in Juneau County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Juneau County covers 767 square miles of central Wisconsin, with about 26,689 residents and 14,767 homes. The county seat is Mauston, and New Lisbon, Elroy and Necedah round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1981, half after.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Juneau County ranks 31 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Juneau County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Juneau County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 75 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 160 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 35th of 72 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 19 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in January 2018. 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.
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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 12 and end around May 10.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Wisconsin. The county gets about 38.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.9 days of an inch or more (4th of 72). Those downpours cluster in May, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.91 inches on August 28, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.9 inches, ending August 29, 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 104 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
49% of homes in Juneau County predate 1980, below the Wisconsin county median of 54.1%, which ranks 57th of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 25% 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.
26% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 19% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
With 26% 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 10 nights a year in Juneau County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (39th of 72 counties). August is the wettest month. 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, Juneau County homes break down as 38% utility gas, 14% electric, 38% propane and 7% wood. Propane heat is above the Wisconsin norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Juneau County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Jackson, Monroe and Wood get more pipe-freeze nights than Juneau. Wood County has the oldest housing nearby, with 64% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Juneau | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 26% | 31% | 55 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 54% | 57 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 21% | 14 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 19% | 4.8% | 1 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 26% | 12% | 21 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 45% | 33% | 22 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 75/yr | 73/yr | 35 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.9/yr | 6.3/yr | 4 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 104/yr | 94/yr | 4 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 10/yr | 11/yr | 39 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 Juneau 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