Ozaukee County, Wisconsin · Port Washington
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Pipes freeze in Ozaukee County on about 54 nights a year, mostly November to March. Older homes, 25% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in August. Ozaukee County averages 5.1 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Ozaukee County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 92 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Ozaukee County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
About 15 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
Ozaukee County covers 233 square miles of southeast Wisconsin, with about 92,966 residents and 39,872 homes. Port Washington is the county seat; Mequon, Cedarburg and Grafton are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1978, half after.
21/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Lower Ozaukee County ranks 72 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Ozaukee County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Wisconsin, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 54 nights a year at or below 20°F (68th of 72) and 137 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -24°F, and in the stretch ending March 2015 the county went 26 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs November to March. 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 21 and end around May 4.
Ozaukee gets fewer downpours than most Wisconsin counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 33.5 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 5.1 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 61st of 72. June, August and September see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 3.53 inches, August 27, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.78 inches, ending August 29, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 92 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
54% of homes in Ozaukee County predate 1980, close to the Wisconsin county median of 54.1%, which ranks 39th of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 25% of homes are pre-1960 and 22% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 24% 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.
Beyond water
About 15 nights a year in Ozaukee County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (24th of 72 counties). August 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, Ozaukee County homes break down as 75% utility gas, 17% electric, 5% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Ozaukee County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Sheboygan and Washington get more pipe-freeze nights than Ozaukee. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Milwaukee County has the oldest housing nearby, with 79% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Ozaukee | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 31% | 58 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 54% | 54% | 39 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 21% | 33 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 0.3% | 4.8% | 72 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 3.9% | 12% | 66 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.3% | 33% | 66 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 54/yr | 73/yr | 68 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.1/yr | 6.3/yr | 61 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 92/yr | 94/yr | 44 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 15/yr | 11/yr | 24 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 Ozaukee County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in June, August and September.
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