Cimarron County, Oklahoma · Boise City
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Cimarron County averages 42 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly November to March, and 45% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 2.1 times a year here, most often in August. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Cimarron County gets about 2.1 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 123 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
27% of occupied homes in Cimarron 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 13 times a year in Cimarron County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 1,366 homes and around 2,218 residents, Cimarron County is 1,835 square miles of northwest Oklahoma. Besides Boise City, the county seat, the biggest communities are Keyes, Felt and Kenton. The county's median home was built in 1963.
59/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Cimarron County ranks 11 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Cimarron County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
Cimarron is on the colder side of Oklahoma for pipes. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 42 nights a year at or below 20°F (1st of 77) and 132 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 10 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -18°F on February 15, 2021.
Most freezing nights fall from November to March, 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 22 and the last spring freeze around Apr 17.
Cimarron gets fewer downpours than most Oklahoma counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 17.2 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 2.1 days of an inch or more (77th of 77). Those downpours cluster in April, July and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 2.18 inches on October 22, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 3.12 inches (through July 31, 2017).
About 123 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
75% of homes in Cimarron County predate 1980, above the Oklahoma county median of 54.8%, which ranks 10th of Oklahoma's 77 counties.
45% 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.
12% 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.
With 48% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Cimarron County averages 13 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in July. 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, Cimarron County homes break down as 63% utility gas, 10% electric, 25% propane and 2% wood. Propane 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 Cimarron County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Cimarron gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Cimarron | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 45% | 24% | 4 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 75% | 55% | 10 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 6.4% | 22% | 76 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 12% | 47 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 48% | 17% | 1 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 13% | 5 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 42/yr | 13/yr | 1 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 2.1/yr | 11/yr | 77 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 123/yr | 65/yr | 1 of 77 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 13/yr | 98/yr | 77 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 Cimarron County: freezing from November to March, heavy rain in April, July and August.
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