Portage County, Wisconsin · Stevens Point
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Pipes freeze in Portage County on about 78 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 25% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.7 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 Portage County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 99 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
23% of occupied homes in Portage County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 8 times a year in Portage County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 70,832 people live in Portage County, 801 square miles in central Wisconsin, in roughly 31,746 homes. The county seat is Stevens Point, and Plover, Whiting and Amherst round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1979, half after.
48/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Portage County ranks 42 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Portage County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Portage County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 161 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 78 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 29th.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -28°F, and in the stretch ending February 2015 the county went 25 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 14 and end around May 7.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Wisconsin. The county gets about 37.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.7 days of an inch or more (18th of 72). Those downpours cluster in May, June and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.78 inches on August 8, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 3.97 inches, ending August 10, 2021, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 99 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
52% of homes in Portage County predate 1980, close to the Wisconsin county median of 54.1%, which ranks 46th of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
The mix runs from 25% built before 1960 to 21% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 27% 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.
Renters occupy 30% 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
Portage County averages 8 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Portage County homes break down as 56% utility gas, 18% electric, 18% propane and 5% 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 Portage County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Marathon and Wood get more pipe-freeze nights than Portage. Wood County has the oldest housing nearby, with 64% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Portage | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 25% | 31% | 59 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 52% | 54% | 46 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 21% | 21% | 38 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.4% | 4.8% | 52 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 6.5% | 12% | 52 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 23% | 33% | 49 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 78/yr | 73/yr | 29 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.7/yr | 6.3/yr | 18 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 99/yr | 94/yr | 13 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 8/yr | 11/yr | 45 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 Portage 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