Cleveland County, Oklahoma · Norman
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Cleveland County averages 12 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 7% of its homes predate 1960.
May brings the most downpours to Cleveland County, part of 10.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Cleveland County gets about 10.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Cleveland County, 4.09 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
4% of occupied homes in Cleveland County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
With 100 muggy nights a year, mold in Cleveland County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 124,442 homes and around 300,047 residents, Cleveland County is 539 square miles of central Oklahoma. Besides Norman, the county seat, the biggest communities are Moore, Noble and Slaughterville. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1990.
33/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Cleveland County ranks 76 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Cleveland County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Cleveland County sits near the middle of the state. It averaged 65 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 12 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 41st.
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 -8°F on February 17, 2021.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, 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 Nov 6 and end around Mar 30.
Rainfall is about average for Oklahoma. About 10.6 days a year bring an inch or more (40th of 77), most often in May, out of 39.8 inches of total precipitation. On September 22, 2018, 4.09 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.26 inches, ending November 5, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 61 days a year. Each cycle melts and refreezes water at roof edges and in foundation cracks, which is how ice dams and basement seepage get started.
Housing
Roughly 33% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Cleveland among the newer housing stocks of Oklahoma's 77 counties.
Since 2000 the county has added enough housing that 37% of homes are that new. Modern PEX and copper rarely fail on their own; the leaks come from connections, appliances and storms.
30% 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.
Renters occupy 36% 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 100 times a year here, close to 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 expectMain heating fuel in Cleveland County's occupied homes: 56% utility gas, 40% electric, 3% propane and under 1% 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 Cleveland County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Canadian, Oklahoma and Pottawatomie get more pipe-freeze nights than Cleveland. Oklahoma County has the oldest housing nearby, with 54% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Cleveland | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 7.2% | 24% | 76 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 33% | 55% | 74 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 37% | 22% | 6 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 5.5% | 12% | 68 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 6.1% | 17% | 76 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 3.6% | 13% | 75 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 12/yr | 13/yr | 41 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 11/yr | 11/yr | 40 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 61/yr | 65/yr | 46 of 77 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 100/yr | 98/yr | 31 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 Cleveland County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in May, June and October.
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