Jackson County, Oklahoma · Altus
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Pipes freeze in Jackson County on about 10 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 29% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Jackson County, part of 7.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Jackson County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Jackson County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.21 inches, and about 61 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
5% of occupied homes in Jackson County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
With 104 muggy nights a year, mold in Jackson County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 12,072 homes and around 24,678 residents, Jackson County is 803 square miles of southern Oklahoma. Besides Altus, the county seat, the biggest communities are Blair, Olustee and Eldorado. The county's median home was built in 1973.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Jackson County ranks 66 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Jackson County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
Jackson County is milder than most of Oklahoma, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 65 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 10 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 52nd.
The longest cold spell was straight 10 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -5°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
The freeze season here runs December to February, 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 9 and the last spring freeze around Mar 23.
Jackson gets fewer downpours than most Oklahoma counties, but they still fill basements. About 7.1 days a year bring an inch or more (64th of 77), most often in May, out of 27.2 inches of total precipitation. On June 27, 2021, 3.21 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 5.54 inches (through October 9, 2018).
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
65% of homes in Jackson County predate 1980, above the Oklahoma county median of 54.8%, which ranks 19th of Oklahoma's 77 counties.
In Jackson County 29% of homes are older than 1960. If yours is one of them and the plumbing has never been replaced, expect galvanized steel supply pipe and cast iron drain lines, the two materials most likely to fail quietly.
22% 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 41% 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
Jackson County averages 104 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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, Jackson County homes break down as 63% utility gas, 30% electric, 5% propane and under 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 Jackson County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Greer, Harmon and Kiowa get more pipe-freeze nights than Jackson. Tillman County has the oldest housing nearby, with 83% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Jackson | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 29% | 24% | 31 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 65% | 55% | 19 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 13% | 22% | 63 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.3% | 12% | 75 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 19% | 17% | 32 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 5.3% | 13% | 68 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 10/yr | 13/yr | 52 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.1/yr | 11/yr | 64 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 61/yr | 65/yr | 46 of 77 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 104/yr | 98/yr | 22 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 Jackson County: freezing from December to February, 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