Kenosha County, Wisconsin · Kenosha
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Kenosha County averages 47 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 34% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.5 times a year here, most often in July. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
34% 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.
In Kenosha County, 3.59 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
3% of occupied homes in Kenosha County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
About 24 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Kenosha County covers 272 square miles of southeast Wisconsin, with about 168,438 residents and 73,678 homes. Besides Kenosha, the county seat, the biggest communities are Pleasant Prairie, Salem Lakes and Somers. The county's median home was built in 1975.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Kenosha County ranks 43 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Kenosha County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Kenosha County is milder than most of Wisconsin, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 126 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 47 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 71st.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 19 days below freezing (ending March 2015), and the low bottomed out near -24°F on January 31, 2019.
The freeze season here runs November to March, 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 23 and the last spring freeze around Apr 30.
Rainfall is about average for Wisconsin. About 6.5 days a year bring an inch or more (34th of 72), most often in July, out of 37 inches of total precipitation. On September 12, 2022, 3.59 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.43 inches (through September 13, 2019).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 86 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 56% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Kenosha near the middle of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 34% predate 1960 and 22% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
22% 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.
Renters occupy 33% 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
About 24 nights a year in Kenosha County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (1st of 72 counties). May 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, Kenosha County homes break down as 75% utility gas, 20% electric, 3% propane and under 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Kenosha County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Every neighboring county gets more pipe-freeze nights than Kenosha. Racine County has the oldest housing nearby, with 66% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Kenosha | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 31% | 28 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 56% | 54% | 31 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 21% | 32 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.5% | 4.8% | 59 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 6.5% | 12% | 52 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.2% | 33% | 70 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 47/yr | 73/yr | 71 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.5/yr | 6.3/yr | 34 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 86/yr | 94/yr | 71 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 24/yr | 11/yr | 1 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 Kenosha County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in July, September and October.
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