Winnebago County, Wisconsin · Oshkosh
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Pipes freeze in Winnebago County on about 64 nights a year, mostly November to April. Older homes, 33% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in June. Winnebago County averages 6.9 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
33% 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.
Winnebago County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.72 inches, and about 91 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
6% of occupied homes in Winnebago 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 17 times a year in Winnebago County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
About 171,769 people live in Winnebago County, 435 square miles in eastern Wisconsin, in roughly 77,318 homes. Besides Oshkosh, the county seat, the biggest communities are Neenah, Fox Crossing and Menasha. Half the homes here were built before 1975, half after.
52/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Winnebago County ranks 36 of 72 Wisconsin counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Winnebago County ranks highest compared with other Wisconsin counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Wisconsin, and pipes still freeze. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 64 nights a year at or below 20°F (52nd of 72) and 146 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On January 31, 2019 the low fell to about -27°F, and in the stretch ending February 2019 the county went 24 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 19 and end around May 3.
Rainfall is about average for Wisconsin. The county gets about 36.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 6.9 days of an inch or more (28th of 72). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.72 inches on October 23, 2020. The worst three-day stretch dropped 5.88 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 91 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
Roughly 57% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Winnebago near the middle of Wisconsin's 72 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 33% predate 1960 and 20% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 23% 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.
Renters occupy 34% 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
Winnebago County averages 17 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in June. 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 Winnebago County's occupied homes: 72% utility gas, 20% electric, 5% propane and 1% wood. Fires here are likelier to start in the kitchen or the wiring than in the furnace. After any fire, keep the HVAC off until ducts are checked, or soot will travel through the house.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Winnebago County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Every neighboring county gets more pipe-freeze nights than Winnebago. Fond du Lac County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Winnebago | Wisconsin median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 33% | 31% | 30 of 72 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 57% | 54% | 26 of 72 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 20% | 21% | 45 of 72 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 1.8% | 4.8% | 63 of 72 |
| Vacant homes | 6% | 12% | 58 of 72 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.8% | 33% | 65 of 72 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 64/yr | 73/yr | 52 of 72 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 6.9/yr | 6.3/yr | 28 of 72 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 91/yr | 94/yr | 56 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 Winnebago 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