Murray County, Oklahoma · Sulphur
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Murray County averages 8 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 19% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 12.1 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Murray County gets about 12.1 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Murray County, 6.93 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
12% of occupied homes in Murray County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
With 110 muggy nights a year, mold in Murray County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Murray County covers 416 square miles of southeast Oklahoma, with about 13,753 residents and 6,555 homes. Sulphur is the county seat; Davis, Dougherty and Hickory are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1980, half after.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Murray County ranks 59 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Murray 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 8 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 54 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 65th of 77 counties.
The longest cold spell was straight 10 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -7°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 13 and end around Mar 26.
Rainfall is about average for Oklahoma. About 12.1 days a year bring an inch or more (27th of 77), most often in May, out of 43.3 inches of total precipitation. On September 22, 2018, 6.93 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 8.31 inches, ending September 23, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 50 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
49% of homes in Murray County predate 1980, below the Oklahoma county median of 54.8%, which ranks 50th of Oklahoma's 77 counties.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 19% predate 1960 and 25% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 26% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 13% 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 24% 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 110 times a year here, above 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 Murray County's occupied homes: 29% utility gas, 56% electric, 11% propane and 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 Murray County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Garvin and Pontotoc get more pipe-freeze nights than Murray. Garvin County has the oldest housing nearby, with 65% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Murray | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 19% | 24% | 51 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 55% | 50 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 22% | 26 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 12% | 36 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 24% | 17% | 15 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 12% | 13% | 48 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 8/yr | 13/yr | 65 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 12/yr | 11/yr | 27 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 50/yr | 65/yr | 69 of 77 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 110/yr | 98/yr | 9 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 Murray 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