Carroll County, Arkansas · Berryville
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Carroll County averages 17 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 15% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 13.2 times a year here, most often in March. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Carroll County gets about 13.2 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 68 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
25% of occupied homes in Carroll County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
About 65 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
About 28,626 people live in Carroll County, 630 square miles in northwest Arkansas, in roughly 13,957 homes. The county seat is Berryville, and Green Forest, Holiday Island and Eureka Springs round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1989.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Carroll County ranks 50 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Carroll County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Carroll is on the colder side of Arkansas for pipes. It averaged 76 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 17 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 75 Arkansas counties that's 2nd.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -12°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 1 and the last spring freeze around Apr 2.
Carroll gets fewer downpours than most Arkansas counties, but they still fill basements. About 13.2 days a year bring an inch or more (73rd of 75), most often in March, out of 49.7 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2015, 4.13 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.9 inches (through December 28, 2015).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 68 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
Roughly 35% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Carroll among the newer housing stocks of Arkansas's 75 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 15% of homes are pre-1960 and 27% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
About 39% of homes went up between 1980 and 1999. Some houses from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s were plumbed with polybutylene, a gray plastic pipe known for failing at fittings. A plumber can tell you in a few minutes whether you have it.
Here 13% 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.
Beyond water
Carroll County averages 65 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Carroll County it's 23% utility gas, 51% electric, 17% propane and 8% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than the state median. Have chimneys swept and fuel-burning appliances serviced each fall, and keep three feet clear around stoves and space heaters.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Carroll County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Madison gets more pipe-freeze nights than Carroll. Newton County has the oldest housing nearby, with 47% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Carroll | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 15% | 15% | 40 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 35% | 46% | 66 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 23% | 19 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 13% | 15% | 50 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 19% | 18% | 34 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 25% | 11% | 12 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 17/yr | 6/yr | 2 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 13/yr | 17/yr | 73 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 68/yr | 48/yr | 6 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 65/yr | 105/yr | 72 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 Carroll County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in March, May and October.
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