Latimer County, Oklahoma · Wilburton
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Pipes freeze in Latimer County on about 9 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 18% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Latimer County averages 16.4 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
18% 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.
Latimer County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 6.45 inches, and about 55 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
20% of occupied homes in Latimer County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
With 104 muggy nights a year, mold in Latimer County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 9,518 people live in Latimer County, 722 square miles in eastern Oklahoma, in roughly 4,705 homes. Besides Wilburton, the county seat, the biggest communities are Red Oak, Gowen and Panola. Half the homes here were built before 1983, half after.
50/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Latimer County ranks 40 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Latimer County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Oklahoma, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 9 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 58 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 58th of 77 counties.
On February 17, 2021 the low fell to about -8°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 10 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs December to February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 9 and end around Mar 27.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Oklahoma. About 16.4 days a year bring an inch or more (3rd of 77), most often in May, out of 53.5 inches of total precipitation. On September 22, 2018, 6.45 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 8.14 inches, ending December 28, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 55 times a year here. They're the main driver of ice dams and of water working its way through foundation cracks in late winter.
Housing
45% of homes in Latimer County predate 1980, below the Oklahoma county median of 54.8%, which ranks 60th of Oklahoma's 77 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 27% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
28% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 21% 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.
Beyond water
About 104 nights a year in Latimer County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (22nd of 77 counties). May is the wettest month. 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, Latimer County homes break down as 17% utility gas, 61% electric, 16% propane and 4% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Oklahoma counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Latimer County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Latimer gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Pittsburg County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Latimer | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 24% | 55 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 45% | 55% | 60 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 22% | 18 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 21% | 12% | 7 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 17% | 17% | 38 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 20% | 13% | 15 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 9/yr | 13/yr | 58 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 16/yr | 11/yr | 3 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 55/yr | 65/yr | 58 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 Latimer 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