Chicot County, Arkansas · Lake Village
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Pipes freeze in Chicot County on about 3 nights a year, mostly midwinter. Older homes, 12% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in April. Chicot County averages 17.8 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Chicot County spike on heavy-rain days, about 17.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 27 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
8% of occupied homes in Chicot County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
About 126 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 9,765 people live in Chicot County, 637 square miles in southeast Arkansas, in roughly 5,108 homes. The county seat is Lake Village, and Dermott and Eudora round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1979, half after.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Chicot County ranks 56 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Chicot County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Winters here are on the gentler end for Arkansas, and pipes still freeze. From 2015–2024 it averaged 3 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 29 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 68th of 75 counties.
On December 24, 2022 the low fell to about 8°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 5 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from midwinter, 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 18 and end around Mar 1.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Arkansas. The county gets about 59.8 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 17.8 days of an inch or more (23rd of 75). Those downpours cluster in January, February and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 6.37 inches on March 10, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 13.04 inches, ending March 11, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 27 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
Arkansas's 75 counties range widely in housing age; Chicot ranks 24th, with 51% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 12% built before 1960 to 19% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 30% 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 18% 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.
22% of homes were vacant at survey time. A leak in an empty rental or seasonal house can run for days before anyone notices, which is why those losses tend to be larger.
Beyond water
About 126 nights a year in Chicot County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (1st of 75 counties). March is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Chicot County homes break down as 39% utility gas, 52% 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 Chicot County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Desha gets more pipe-freeze nights than Chicot. Desha County has the oldest housing nearby, with 57% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Chicot | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 15% | 54 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 51% | 46% | 24 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 19% | 23% | 54 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 15% | 27 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 22% | 18% | 20 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 8.3% | 11% | 47 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 3/yr | 6/yr | 68 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 18/yr | 17/yr | 23 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 27/yr | 48/yr | 75 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 126/yr | 105/yr | 1 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 Chicot County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in January, February and April.
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