Tulsa County, Oklahoma · Tulsa
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Tulsa County averages 14 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 23% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 10.2 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 Tulsa County gets about 10.2 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 65 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
2% of occupied homes in Tulsa County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
With 101 muggy nights a year, mold in Tulsa County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 680,794 people live in Tulsa County, 570 square miles in northeast Oklahoma, in roughly 297,882 homes. The county seat is Tulsa, and Broken Arrow, Owasso and Bixby round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1979.
49/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Tulsa County ranks 48 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Tulsa County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
For frozen pipes, Tulsa County is a typical Oklahoma county, which is still plenty. From 2015–2024 it averaged 14 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 71 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 34th of 77 counties.
On February 17, 2021 the low fell to about -14°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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 1 and the last spring freeze around Mar 27.
Rainfall is about average for Oklahoma. The county gets about 43.3 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 10.2 days of an inch or more (44th of 77). Those downpours cluster in April, May and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4 inches on May 21, 2019. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.24 inches (through November 5, 2024).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 65 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
52% of homes in Tulsa County predate 1980, close to the Oklahoma county median of 54.8%, which ranks 46th of Oklahoma's 77 counties.
The mix runs from 23% built before 1960 to 24% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
24% 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 40% 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
About 101 nights a year in Tulsa County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (29th of 77 counties). May is the wettest month. Keep indoor humidity under 60%, as the EPA advises, and dry any leak within 24 to 48 hours; in a humid month a wet basement left alone won't dry by itself.
Mold remediation: what to expectBy main heating fuel, Tulsa County homes break down as 62% utility gas, 36% electric, 2% 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 Tulsa County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Creek, Osage, Pawnee, Rogers and Washington get more pipe-freeze nights than Tulsa. Washington County has the oldest housing nearby, with 65% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Tulsa | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 23% | 24% | 44 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 52% | 55% | 46 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 24% | 22% | 32 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 2.1% | 12% | 77 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 8.5% | 17% | 71 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 1.9% | 13% | 77 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 14/yr | 13/yr | 34 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 10/yr | 11/yr | 44 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 65/yr | 65/yr | 38 of 77 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 101/yr | 98/yr | 29 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 Tulsa County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in April, May and August.
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