Marquette County, Wisconsin · Montello
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Marquette County averages 67 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 29% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.4 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Marquette County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 100 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
53% of occupied homes in Marquette County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
About 14 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
With 9,827 homes and around 15,746 residents, Marquette County is 456 square miles of southern Wisconsin. Montello is the county seat; Westfield, Oxford and Neshkoro are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1977, half after.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Marquette County ranks 41 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Marquette County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Marquette County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 67 nights a year at or below 20°F (43rd of 72) and 153 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 17 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2019. The coldest night reached about -30°F on January 31, 2019. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to April. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 17 and end around May 6.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Wisconsin. The county gets about 36.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.4 days of an inch or more (20th of 72). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.14 inches on October 23, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.36 inches, ending August 29, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 100 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
Roughly 56% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Marquette near the middle of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 29% predate 1960 and 19% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 25% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
11% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Wisconsin county median of 4.8%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
The Census counted 29% 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
About 14 nights a year in Marquette County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (28th 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Marquette County it's 35% utility gas, 9% electric, 43% 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 Marquette County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Adams and Waushara get more pipe-freeze nights than Marquette. Green Lake County has the oldest housing nearby, with 65% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Marquette | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 29% | 31% | 47 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 56% | 54% | 29 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 21% | 54 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 11% | 4.8% | 6 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 29% | 12% | 16 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 53% | 33% | 9 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 67/yr | 73/yr | 43 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.4/yr | 6.3/yr | 20 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 100/yr | 94/yr | 11 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 14/yr | 11/yr | 28 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 Marquette County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in May, June 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