Sauk County, Wisconsin · Baraboo
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With 28% of homes built before 1960 and about 65 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
July brings the most downpours to Sauk County, part of 8.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
28% 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.
Sauk County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.83 inches, and about 97 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
25% of occupied homes in Sauk County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
About 17 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 66,009 people live in Sauk County, 832 square miles in southern Wisconsin, in roughly 31,496 homes. The county seat is Baraboo, and Reedsburg, Prairie du Sac and Sauk City round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1983, half after.
54/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Sauk County ranks 30 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Sauk County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Sauk County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 149 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 65 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 47th.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -33°F, and in the stretch ending February 2019 the county went 17 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 16 and end around May 4.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Wisconsin. The county gets about 38.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.7 days of an inch or more (7th of 72). Those downpours cluster in July, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.83 inches on October 23, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.62 inches, ending May 4, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 97 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
Wisconsin's 72 counties range widely in housing age; Sauk ranks 62nd, with 47% of its homes built before 1980.
26% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Wisconsin. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
About 28% 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.
Beyond water
About 17 nights a year in Sauk County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (18th of 72 counties). July 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 expectMain heating fuel in Sauk County's occupied homes: 56% utility gas, 17% electric, 19% propane and 6% 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 Sauk County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Juneau and Vernon get more pipe-freeze nights than Sauk. Richland County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Sauk | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 28% | 31% | 48 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 54% | 62 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 26% | 21% | 12 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.8% | 4.8% | 21 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 12% | 38 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 25% | 33% | 47 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 65/yr | 73/yr | 47 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.7/yr | 6.3/yr | 7 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 97/yr | 94/yr | 21 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 17/yr | 11/yr | 18 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 Sauk County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in July, 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