Frozen Pipes and Flooding in Tulsa: The Statistics
Tulsa homes get water damage two different ways: pipes that burst in short winter freezes, and flood water in spring storms. This page sets 31 winters of NOAA airport records beside FEMA's flood-insurance claims by ZIP code, with a printable freeze checklist and the data as CSV.
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How often does Tulsa freeze hard enough to threaten pipes?
Across 31 winters at Tulsa International Airport, 1995–96 to 2025–26, NOAA records show about eight days a winter that stayed at or below freezing and about 71 nights at or below 32°F. The 1991–2020 normals put the median first fall freeze on November 4 and the median last spring freeze on March 31.
The normals add the spread: a 10 percent chance of the first freeze by October 20 and a 90 percent chance by November 19; a 10 percent chance of a spring freeze on or after April 15. Winter 2013–14 had the most days that stayed at or below freezing, 23; the last ten winters averaged 6.5. The NWS Tulsa office's own freeze climatology, listed on our sources page, gives November 6 as the median first freeze; it uses a different period and method.
| Winter | Days high ≤32°F | Longest run (days) | Nights ≤32°F | Nights ≤20°F | Coldest low °F | First freeze | Last freeze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 12 | 6 | 83 | 26 | −11 | Nov 3 | Apr 6 |
| 1996-97 | 10 | 5 | 71 | 20 | 4 | Nov 2 | Apr 14 |
| 1997-98 | 4 | 1 | 61 | 7 | 14 | Nov 10 | Mar 21 |
| 1998-99 | 9 | 4 | 56 | 12 | 9 | Nov 11 | Mar 26 |
| 1999-00 | 4 | 4 | 59 | 6 | 16 | Oct 24 | Mar 20 |
| 2000-01 | 18 | 4 | 102 | 28 | 2 | Oct 8 | Mar 26 |
| 2001-02 | 5 | 1 | 72 | 16 | 7 | Oct 27 | Apr 3 |
| 2002-03 | 9 | 4 | 87 | 18 | 8 | Nov 4 | Apr 10 |
| 2003-04 | 6 | 2 | 64 | 19 | 7 | Nov 6 | Mar 16 |
| 2004-05 | 6 | 3 | 49 | 14 | 9 | Nov 24 | Mar 17 |
| 2005-06 | 5 | 3 | 66 | 11 | 0 | Oct 25 | Apr 9 |
| 2006-07 | 13 | 5 | 73 | 21 | 9 | Oct 22 | Apr 8 |
| 2007-08 | 5 | 1 | 88 | 13 | 11 | Nov 7 | Apr 14 |
| 2008-09 | 9 | 3 | 85 | 18 | 8 | Oct 28 | Apr 7 |
| 2009-10 | 13 | 4 | 73 | 26 | 3 | Nov 26 | Mar 22 |
| 2010-11 | 12 | 4 | 84 | 26 | −12 | Nov 5 | Mar 31 |
| 2011-12 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 7 | 16 | Oct 20 | Mar 10 |
| 2012-13 | 2 | 1 | 82 | 17 | 14 | Oct 7 | Apr 24 |
| 2013-14 | 23 | 5 | 92 | 38 | −2 | Nov 7 | Apr 15 |
| 2014-15 | 9 | 2 | 76 | 23 | 7 | Nov 1 | Mar 6 |
| 2015-16 | 3 | 1 | 50 | 4 | 10 | Nov 21 | Mar 28 |
| 2016-17 | 3 | 2 | 57 | 12 | 3 | Nov 19 | Mar 15 |
| 2017-18 | 8 | 3 | 75 | 22 | 3 | Oct 28 | Apr 16 |
| 2018-19 | 7 | 2 | 80 | 16 | 9 | Nov 9 | Mar 31 |
| 2019-20 | 1 | 1 | 64 | 5 | 15 | Oct 30 | Apr 18 |
| 2020-21 | 10 | 10 | 71 | 16 | −13 | Nov 23 | Apr 21 |
| 2021-22 | 7 | 3 | 67 | 23 | 7 | Nov 13 | Apr 9 |
| 2022-23 | 5 | 3 | 70 | 13 | 0 | Oct 18 | Mar 27 |
| 2023-24 | 7 | 4 | 60 | 9 | −3 | Oct 30 | Mar 28 |
| 2024-25 | 11 | 4 | 60 | 23 | 1 | Nov 22 | Apr 7 |
| 2025-26 | 6 | 3 | 57 | 15 | 0 | Nov 2 | Mar 17 |
Source: NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily, station USW00013968, daily maximum and minimum temperature, winters July–June, computed 2026-10-03.
What happened to Tulsa pipes in the February 2021 freeze?
NOAA's daily record at Tulsa International shows ten straight days, February 9 to 18, 2021, when the high never passed freezing, and a low of −13°F on February 16, the coldest reading in 31 winters. That day the City of Tulsa reported Tulsa Fire answering a large number of broken-pipe calls at homes.
The City's February 16, 2021 update also had 35 crews scheduled to repair water line breaks the next day. The high on February 15 was 5°F. Water from a burst pipe is a different job from flood water; see emergency water removal for what the first hours involve.
Where in Tulsa County have flood insurance claims been filed?
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program data list 3,822 claims from Tulsa County since 1978, with about $71.4 million paid for buildings, contents and code compliance. ZIP 74063 in Sand Springs leads with 527 claims, followed by Tulsa's 74112 and 74129. Only 307 claims have been filed since 2015.
These are flood claims: a pipe that bursts inside a house is not flood and does not appear here. The claims follow storms, not freezes: 2,265 of the 3,822 were for losses in May, while December through February account for 75 since 1978. Three events stand out: 1,389 claims dated May 27, 1984; 502 in 1986, most dated September 30 to October 4; and 201 in May 2019. ZIP codes are as reported; 47 claims carry none. For flooded lower levels see flooded basement cleanup.
| ZIP | Area | Claims | Claims with a payment | Total paid | Latest year of loss | Claims since 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74063 | Sand Springs | 527 | 482 | $20,994,125 | 2019 | 151 |
| 74112 | Tulsa | 474 | 428 | $8,657,773 | 2011 | 0 |
| 74129 | Tulsa | 335 | 322 | $8,788,815 | 2015 | 1 |
| 74135 | Tulsa | 327 | 260 | $2,924,522 | 2026 | 4 |
| 74008 | Bixby | 308 | 255 | $4,852,680 | 2022 | 43 |
| 74105 | Tulsa | 234 | 187 | $2,057,798 | 2026 | 3 |
| 74070 | Skiatook | 203 | 167 | $2,122,279 | 2025 | 18 |
| 74145 | Tulsa | 168 | 144 | $3,535,687 | 2025 | 5 |
| 74128 | Tulsa | 155 | 137 | $1,744,616 | 2019 | 2 |
| 74136 | Tulsa | 127 | 86 | $421,220 | 2026 | 4 |
| 74115 | Tulsa | 113 | 102 | $1,553,318 | 2019 | 2 |
| 74114 | Tulsa | 81 | 62 | $734,066 | 2019 | 3 |
| 74146 | Tulsa | 75 | 62 | $999,067 | 2019 | 1 |
| 74133 | Tulsa | 64 | 57 | $630,861 | 2026 | 3 |
| 74107 | Tulsa | 56 | 51 | $893,213 | 2022 | 8 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Redacted Claims v3, countyCode 40143, read 2026-10-03. Total paid = building + contents + increased cost of compliance.
What should a Tulsa homeowner do before the first freeze?
The City of Tulsa's freeze advice is short: let the faucet farthest from the street drip, open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls, and know where your main shutoff valve is. If water stops flowing, leave faucets open, warm the wall with a safe heat source, never an open flame, and call a plumber.
Before a hard freeze
- ☐ Let the faucet farthest from the street drip.
- ☐ Open cabinet doors below sinks on outside walls.
- ☐ Move cleaning products from those cabinets out of reach of children and pets.
- ☐ Find your main water shutoff valve.
If no water comes out
- ☐ Leave the faucets open.
- ☐ Point a safe heat source at the wall where the pipe runs, away from anything flammable. Never use a torch or open flame.
- ☐ Call a plumber if water does not flow in a reasonable time; act fast on outside walls.
City of Tulsa Water and Sewer, 24 hours: waterline breaks and leaks 918-596-9488; sewer overflows 918-586-6999. Print with your browser's Print command.
How were these numbers built, and can I reuse them?
Freeze figures come from NOAA's daily maximum and minimum temperatures for Tulsa International Airport, counted by winter from July to June, plus NOAA's 1991–2020 normals. Flood figures come from FEMA's NFIP claims dataset, version 3, read October 3, 2026. Both tables are offered under CC BY 4.0 and download as CSV files.
Download: Tulsa winters 1995–2026 (CSV) and Tulsa County NFIP claims by ZIP (CSV). Cite as: Rapid Water Damage Tulsa, BetterAds Solutions LLC (2026), 'Frozen Pipes and Flooding in Tulsa: The Statistics', https://rapidwaterdamagetulsa.com/tulsa-freeze-flood-statistics/, CC BY 4.0.
| Source | Used for | Link |
|---|---|---|
| NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily | daily temperatures | https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/global-historical-climatology-network-daily |
| NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals | freeze-date normals | https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals |
| FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims | flood claims | https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v3/NfipClaims |
| City of Tulsa, Feb. 16, 2021 update | 2021 freeze and checklist | https://cityoftulsa.org/press-room/tulsa-winter-weather-update-feb-16-615-pm/ |
Source: Source links for the freeze records, flood claims and homeowner checklist.
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