Langlade County, Wisconsin · Antigo
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With 39% of homes built before 1960 and about 95 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
June brings the most downpours to Langlade County, part of 5.2 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.
Langlade County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 2.74 inches, and about 101 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
29% of occupied homes in Langlade County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
About 2 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
About 19,490 people live in Langlade County, 871 square miles in central Wisconsin, in roughly 12,221 homes. The county seat is Antigo, and Post Lake, White Lake and Elcho round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1972, half after.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Langlade County ranks 25 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Langlade County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Langlade County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Wisconsin. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 95 nights a year at or below 20°F (13th of 72) and 181 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 41 days below freezing (ending March 2015), and the low bottomed out near -28°F on January 31, 2019.
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 6 and end around May 16.
Langlade gets fewer downpours than most Wisconsin counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 35.3 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.2 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 58th of 72. May, June and July see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 2.74 inches, June 10, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.44 inches, ending June 18, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 101 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
60% of homes in Langlade County predate 1980, above the Wisconsin county median of 54.1%, which ranks 21st of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
In Langlade County 39% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 22% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
With 27% 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 2 nights a year in Langlade County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (61st of 72 counties). June 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Langlade County it's 59% utility gas, 9% electric, 20% propane and 8% wood. Wood heat is 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 Langlade County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Forest, Lincoln and Oneida get more pipe-freeze nights than Langlade. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Langlade | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 39% | 31% | 17 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 60% | 54% | 21 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 21% | 57 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.6% | 4.8% | 30 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 27% | 12% | 19 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 29% | 33% | 43 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 95/yr | 73/yr | 13 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.2/yr | 6.3/yr | 58 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 101/yr | 94/yr | 10 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 2/yr | 11/yr | 61 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 Langlade County: freezing from October to April, heavy rain in May, June and July.
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