Washita County, Oklahoma · New Cordell
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Pipes freeze in Washita County on about 15 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 44% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Washita County, part of 7.4 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Washita County spike on heavy-rain days, about 7.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Washita County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.48 inches, and about 69 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
9% of occupied homes in Washita County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Oklahoma county median of 12.5%.
With 95 muggy nights a year, mold in Washita County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
Washita County covers 1,003 square miles of central Oklahoma, with about 10,815 residents and 5,140 homes. New Cordell is the county seat; Burns Flat, Sentinel and Corn are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1964.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Washita County ranks 16 of 77 Oklahoma counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Washita County ranks highest compared with other Oklahoma counties.
For frozen pipes, Washita County is a typical Oklahoma county, which is still plenty. It averaged 75 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 15 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 27th.
On February 17, 2021 the low fell to about -9°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 11 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 7 and the last spring freeze around Apr 6.
Washita gets fewer downpours than most Oklahoma counties, but they still fill basements. The county gets about 30.5 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 7.4 days of an inch or more (60th of 77). Those downpours cluster in April, May and June, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.48 inches on October 8, 2018. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.62 inches (through October 9, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 69 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
74% of homes in Washita County predate 1980, above the Oklahoma county median of 54.8%, which ranks 11th of Oklahoma's 77 counties.
44% 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.
Here 9% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
The Census counted 20% of homes as vacant, above the Oklahoma county median of 17.1%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 95 times a year here, close to the Oklahoma county median of 98. The EPA recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally 30 to 50%. Basements can pass 60% on their own in summer, so a dehumidifier matters even without a leak, and anything wet should be dried within 24 to 48 hours.
Mold remediation: what to expectMain heating fuel in Washita County's occupied homes: 58% utility gas, 27% electric, 8% propane and under 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 Washita County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Custer gets more pipe-freeze nights than Washita. Kiowa County has the oldest housing nearby, with 77% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Washita | Oklahoma median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 44% | 24% | 7 of 77 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 74% | 55% | 11 of 77 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 11% | 22% | 66 of 77 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 9.3% | 12% | 57 of 77 |
| Vacant homes | 20% | 17% | 27 of 77 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.1% | 13% | 54 of 77 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 15/yr | 13/yr | 27 of 77 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 7.4/yr | 11/yr | 60 of 77 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 69/yr | 65/yr | 25 of 77 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 95/yr | 98/yr | 48 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 Washita County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in April, May and June.
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