Washington County, Wisconsin · West Bend
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Washington County averages 65 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to April, and 20% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in August. Washington County averages 5.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Washington County spike on heavy-rain days, about 5.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 98 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Washington 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 11 times a year in Washington County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Washington County covers 431 square miles of southeast Wisconsin, with about 137,879 residents and 59,380 homes. The county seat is West Bend, and Germantown, Hartford and Richfield round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
25/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Washington County ranks 70 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Washington County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Washington County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 65 nights a year at or below 20°F (47th of 72) and 151 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 27 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in March 2015. The coldest night reached about -27°F on January 31, 2019. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs November to April, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 15 and end around May 4.
Washington gets fewer downpours than most Wisconsin counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 35.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 5.4 days of an inch or more (55th of 72). Those downpours cluster in June, August and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.81 inches on August 27, 2018. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.25 inches, ending August 29, 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 98 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
45% of homes in Washington County predate 1980, below the Wisconsin county median of 54.1%, which ranks 66th of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 28% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
28% date from 1980 to 1999, the window when polybutylene, a gray flexible plastic supply pipe, was used in some homes. It's prone to leaks at the fittings, so it's worth checking for in a house from those years.
Beyond water
Washington County averages 11 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in August. 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, Washington County homes break down as 69% utility gas, 20% electric, 7% propane and 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Washington County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Washington gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Sheboygan County has the oldest housing nearby, with 64% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Washington | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 20% | 31% | 67 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 54% | 66 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 28% | 21% | 4 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.1% | 4.8% | 66 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 3.9% | 12% | 66 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.2% | 33% | 62 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 65/yr | 73/yr | 47 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 5.4/yr | 6.3/yr | 55 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 98/yr | 94/yr | 15 of 72 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 11/yr | 11/yr | 33 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 Washington County: freezing from November to April, 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