Waupaca County, Wisconsin · Waupaca
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With 35% of homes built before 1960 and about 71 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 7.7 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 Waupaca County gets about 7.7 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Waupaca County, 2.71 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
35% of occupied homes in Waupaca County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Wisconsin county median of 32.9%.
About 11 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 51,569 people live in Waupaca County, 748 square miles in central Wisconsin, in roughly 25,791 homes. Besides Waupaca, the county seat, the biggest communities are New London, Clintonville and Weyauwega. Half the homes here were built before 1975, half after.
61/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Waupaca County ranks 13 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Waupaca County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Waupaca County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 154 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 71 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 39th.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -27°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 16 and end around May 8.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Wisconsin. The county gets about 36.4 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 September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.71 inches on June 27, 2021. The worst three-day stretch dropped 4.02 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 96 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
57% of homes in Waupaca County predate 1980, close to the Wisconsin county median of 54.1%, which ranks 27th of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
35% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
25% 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
About 11 nights a year in Waupaca County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (33rd of 72 counties). June is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Waupaca County homes break down as 48% utility gas, 12% electric, 29% propane and 7% 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 Waupaca County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Portage and Shawano get more pipe-freeze nights than Waupaca. Shawano County has the oldest housing nearby, with 58% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Waupaca | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 35% | 31% | 24 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 57% | 54% | 27 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 21% | 58 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.8% | 4.8% | 37 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 13% | 12% | 35 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 35% | 33% | 35 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 71/yr | 73/yr | 39 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.7/yr | 6.3/yr | 18 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 96/yr | 94/yr | 24 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 Waupaca County: freezing from November to April, heavy rain in May, June 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