Okfuskee County, Oklahoma · Okemah
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With 21% of homes built before 1960 and about 12 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Okfuskee County, part of 13.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
21% 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.
In Okfuskee County, 4.79 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
26% of occupied homes in Okfuskee County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
About 99 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 11,278 people live in Okfuskee County, 618 square miles in eastern Oklahoma, in roughly 4,798 homes. The county seat is Okemah, and Boley, Weleetka and Paden round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1980.
51/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Okfuskee County ranks 35 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Okfuskee County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
For frozen pipes, Okfuskee County is a typical Oklahoma county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 12 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 64 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 41st 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 -14°F on February 17, 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 2 and the last spring freeze around Apr 1.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Oklahoma. About 13.6 days a year bring an inch or more (17th of 77), most often in May, out of 45.6 inches of total precipitation. On September 22, 2018, 4.79 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.58 inches (through November 5, 2024).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 59 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
Oklahoma's 77 counties range widely in housing age; Okfuskee ranks 47th, with 51% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 21% predate 1960 and 23% 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.
16% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, above the Oklahoma county median of 12.3%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
Beyond water
Okfuskee County averages 99 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Okfuskee County it's 29% utility gas, 45% electric, 20% propane and 6% 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 Okfuskee County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Creek, Lincoln and Pottawatomie get more pipe-freeze nights than Okfuskee. Hughes County has the oldest housing nearby, with 64% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Okfuskee | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 24% | 49 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 51% | 55% | 47 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 22% | 33 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 16% | 12% | 23 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 16% | 17% | 43 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 26% | 13% | 9 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 12/yr | 13/yr | 41 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 11/yr | 17 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 59/yr | 65/yr | 51 of 77 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 99/yr | 98/yr | 37 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 Okfuskee 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