Dallas County, Arkansas · Fordyce
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Pipes freeze in Dallas County on about 4 nights a year, mostly January. Older homes, 18% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in April. Dallas County averages 18.6 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Dallas County spike on heavy-rain days, about 18.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Dallas County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 5.96 inches, and about 48 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
14% of occupied homes in Dallas County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
With 109 muggy nights a year, mold in Dallas County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 6,242 people live in Dallas County, 667 square miles in southern Arkansas, in roughly 3,470 homes. The county seat is Fordyce, and Sparkman, Carthage and Ivan round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1978.
56/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Dallas County ranks 24 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Dallas County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Dallas County is milder than most of Arkansas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 4 nights a year at or below 20°F (53rd of 75) and 50 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 4 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about 4°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Most freezing nights fall from January, 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 11 and the last spring freeze around Mar 16.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Arkansas. The county gets about 60.6 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 18.6 days of an inch or more (11th of 75). Those downpours cluster in March, April and December, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 5.96 inches on August 28, 2020. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 7.46 inches (through February 23, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 48 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; Dallas ranks 12th, with 56% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 18% predate 1960 and 18% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 26% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 17% of the housing here. Water lines in the underbelly depend on intact skirting and working heat tape, and they're usually the first to freeze in a cold snap.
26% 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
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 109 times a year here, close to the Arkansas county median of 105. 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Dallas County it's 32% utility gas, 54% electric, 9% propane and 5% wood. Wood heat is 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 Dallas County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Clark and Hot Spring get more pipe-freeze nights than Dallas. Ouachita County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Dallas | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 15% | 26 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 56% | 46% | 12 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 18% | 23% | 58 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 17% | 15% | 32 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 26% | 18% | 11 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 14% | 11% | 26 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 6/yr | 53 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 19/yr | 17/yr | 11 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 48/yr | 48/yr | 37 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 109/yr | 105/yr | 28 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 Dallas County: freezing from January, heavy rain in March, April and December.
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