Tillman County, Oklahoma · Frederick
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Pipes freeze in Tillman County on about 9 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 43% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Tillman County, part of 8.1 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Tillman County spike on heavy-rain days, about 8.1 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Tillman County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 3.83 inches, and about 55 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
4% of occupied homes in Tillman County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 108 times a year in Tillman County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
With 3,748 homes and around 6,910 residents, Tillman County is 871 square miles of southern Oklahoma. Besides Frederick, the county seat, the biggest communities are Grandfield, Tipton and Manitou. The county's median home was built in 1963.
53/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Tillman County ranks 26 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Tillman County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
Tillman County is milder than most of Oklahoma, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 59 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 9 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 58th.
On February 17, 2021 the low fell to about -6°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.
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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 9 and the last spring freeze around Mar 22.
Tillman gets fewer downpours than most Oklahoma counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 30.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 8.1 days of an inch or more (57th of 77). Those downpours cluster in May, June and September, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 3.83 inches on March 29, 2017. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 4.88 inches (through September 28, 2017).
About 55 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; Tillman ranks 1st, with 83% of its homes built before 1980.
43% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
29% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
Tillman County averages 108 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 expectMain heating fuel in Tillman County's occupied homes: 56% utility gas, 37% electric, 4% 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 Tillman County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Comanche, Jackson and Kiowa get more pipe-freeze nights than Tillman. Its housing is the oldest in the area by share of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Tillman | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 43% | 24% | 8 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 83% | 55% | 1 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 5.9% | 22% | 77 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.3% | 12% | 72 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 29% | 17% | 8 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.1% | 13% | 71 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 9/yr | 13/yr | 58 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 8.1/yr | 11/yr | 57 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 55/yr | 65/yr | 58 of 77 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 108/yr | 98/yr | 11 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 Tillman 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