Choctaw County, Oklahoma · Hugo
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With 16% of homes built before 1960 and about 6 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Choctaw County, part of 15.3 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Choctaw County spike on heavy-rain days, about 15.3 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Choctaw County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.76 inches, and about 49 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
16% of occupied homes in Choctaw County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 114 times a year in Choctaw County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Choctaw County covers 770 square miles of southeast Oklahoma, with about 14,297 residents and 7,117 homes. Besides Hugo, the county seat, the biggest communities are Boswell, Fort Towson and Sawyer. The county's median home was built in 1982.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Choctaw County ranks 50 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Choctaw County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
Choctaw County is milder than most of Oklahoma, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 52 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 6 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 77 Oklahoma counties that's 73rd.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -5°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 9 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs December to January, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 11 and the last spring freeze around Mar 14.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Oklahoma. About 15.3 days a year bring an inch or more (6th of 77), most often in May, out of 51.9 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2015, 4.76 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.2 inches (through December 28, 2015).
About 49 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
47% of homes in Choctaw County predate 1980, below the Oklahoma county median of 54.8%, which ranks 53rd of Oklahoma's 77 counties.
The mix runs from 16% built before 1960 to 23% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 30% 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.
14% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, close to the Oklahoma county median of 12.3%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 114 times a year here, above the Oklahoma county median of 98. 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 Choctaw County it's 15% utility gas, 67% electric, 13% propane and 3% wood. Wood heat is 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 Choctaw County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Atoka and Pushmataha get more pipe-freeze nights than Choctaw. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Choctaw | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 24% | 59 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 47% | 55% | 53 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 22% | 38 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 12% | 34 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 17% | 40 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 13% | 29 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 6/yr | 13/yr | 73 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 11/yr | 6 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 49/yr | 65/yr | 71 of 77 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 114/yr | 98/yr | 4 of 77 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Oklahoma county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Choctaw County: freezing from December to January, heavy rain in April, May and June.
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