Hughes County, Oklahoma · Holdenville
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With 41% of homes built before 1960 and about 11 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Hughes County, part of 13.8 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
41% 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.
Hughes County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 7.41 inches, and about 60 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
13% of occupied homes in Hughes County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
About 100 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 13,389 people live in Hughes County, 804 square miles in eastern Oklahoma, in roughly 5,782 homes. The county seat is Holdenville, and Wetumka, Dustin and Calvin round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1971, half after.
65/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hughes County ranks 1 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hughes County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Hughes County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 11 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 63 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 51st of 77 counties.
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 -10°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 27.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Oklahoma. About 13.8 days a year bring an inch or more (14th of 77), most often in May, out of 48.7 inches of total precipitation. On September 22, 2018, 7.41 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 8.21 inches, ending September 23, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 60 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
Oklahoma's 77 counties range widely in housing age; Hughes ranks 22nd, with 64% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 41% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 16% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
With 30% 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
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 expectBy main heating fuel, Hughes County homes break down as 25% utility gas, 61% electric, 12% propane and 1% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Hughes County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Okfuskee and Seminole get more pipe-freeze nights than Hughes. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hughes | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 41% | 24% | 11 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 64% | 55% | 22 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 17% | 22% | 53 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 12% | 25 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 30% | 17% | 6 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 13% | 13% | 35 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 11/yr | 13/yr | 51 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 11/yr | 14 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 60/yr | 65/yr | 50 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 Hughes County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in April, May 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