Shawano County, Wisconsin · Shawano
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Shawano County averages 77 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 34% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 6.6 times a year here, most often in September. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Shawano County gets about 6.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
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.
38% of occupied homes in Shawano County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
About 8 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 20,670 homes and around 41,039 residents, Shawano County is 893 square miles of eastern Wisconsin. Besides Shawano, the county seat, the biggest communities are Bonduel, Wittenberg and Tigerton. The county's median home was built in 1975.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Shawano County ranks 27 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Shawano County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
For frozen pipes, Shawano County is a typical Wisconsin county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 77 nights a year at or below 20°F (32nd of 72) and 163 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -26°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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Oct 12 and the last spring freeze around May 11.
Rainfall is about average for Wisconsin. The county gets about 36.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.6 days of an inch or more (33rd of 72). Those downpours cluster in April, May and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.43 inches on June 18, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.01 inches (through June 18, 2018).
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 58% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Shawano near the middle of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 34% of homes are pre-1960 and 20% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
About 22% 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.
The Census counted 17% 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
Shawano County averages 8 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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 Shawano County it's 46% utility gas, 11% electric, 30% propane and 8% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Shawano County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Langlade, Marathon, Menominee and Oconto get more pipe-freeze nights than Shawano. Langlade County has the oldest housing nearby, with 60% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Shawano | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 34% | 31% | 28 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 58% | 54% | 25 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 21% | 42 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 6.6% | 4.8% | 23 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 12% | 29 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 38% | 33% | 29 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 77/yr | 73/yr | 32 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.6/yr | 6.3/yr | 33 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 100/yr | 94/yr | 11 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 Shawano County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in April, May 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