Baxter County, Arkansas · Mountain Home
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Baxter County averages 16 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 10% of its homes predate 1960.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Baxter County averages 13.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Baxter County spike on heavy-rain days, about 13.7 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 69 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
16% of occupied homes in Baxter County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
With 70 muggy nights a year, mold in Baxter County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 42,407 people live in Baxter County, 554 square miles in northern Arkansas, in roughly 22,883 homes. Besides Mountain Home, the county seat, the biggest communities are Gassville, Midway and Cotter. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1985.
37/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Baxter County ranks 66 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Baxter County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Baxter County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Arkansas. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 16 nights a year at or below 20°F (6th of 75) and 76 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -7°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.
Freezing nights typically start around Oct 30 and end around Apr 4.
Baxter gets fewer downpours than most Arkansas counties, but they still fill basements. About 13.7 days a year bring an inch or more (69th of 75), most often in May, out of 52.9 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2015, 4.85 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 8.26 inches, ending November 5, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 69 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
43% of homes in Baxter County predate 1980, close to the Arkansas county median of 46%, which ranks 47th of Arkansas's 75 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 10% of homes are pre-1960 and 22% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
36% 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.
12% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below the Arkansas county median of 15%. 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 70 times a year here, below the Arkansas county median of 105. 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, Baxter County homes break down as 30% utility gas, 53% electric, 12% propane and 4% wood. Propane heat is above the Arkansas norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Baxter County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Marion gets more pipe-freeze nights than Baxter. Searcy County has the oldest housing nearby, with 44% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Baxter | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 10% | 15% | 59 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 43% | 46% | 47 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 23% | 45 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 15% | 55 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 18% | 48 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 16% | 11% | 24 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 16/yr | 6/yr | 6 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 14/yr | 17/yr | 69 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 69/yr | 48/yr | 3 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 70/yr | 105/yr | 70 of 75 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Arkansas county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Baxter County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in March, April and May.
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