Hot Spring County, Arkansas · Malvern
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Pipes freeze in Hot Spring County on about 5 nights a year, mostly December to January. Older homes, 19% of the stock here, are most at risk.
April brings the most downpours to Hot Spring County, part of 17.4 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Hot Spring County spike on heavy-rain days, about 17.4 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Hot Spring County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.89 inches, and about 48 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
10% of occupied homes in Hot Spring County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 107 times a year in Hot Spring County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Hot Spring County covers 615 square miles of western Arkansas, with about 33,180 residents and 14,302 homes. Malvern is the county seat; Magnet Cove, Rockport and Midway are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1979.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Hot Spring County ranks 23 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Hot Spring County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
For frozen pipes, Hot Spring County is a typical Arkansas county, which is still plenty. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 5 nights a year at or below 20°F (44th of 75) and 50 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about 0°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 7 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
The freeze season here runs December to January, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 11 and the last spring freeze around Mar 16.
Rainfall is about average for Arkansas. About 17.4 days a year bring an inch or more (29th of 75), most often in April, out of 58 inches of total precipitation. On April 30, 2016, 4.89 inches fell in a single day. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.68 inches (through February 23, 2018).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 48 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
Arkansas's 75 counties range widely in housing age; Hot Spring ranks 23rd, with 52% of its homes built before 1980.
Before 1960 is when 19% of these homes went up. Galvanized supply lines and cast iron drains were standard then, and after 60-plus years both corrode and crack, often out of sight inside a wall or under a slab.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 24% 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 23% 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.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 107 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Hot Spring County homes break down as 31% utility gas, 58% electric, 5% 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 Hot Spring County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Garland and Montgomery get more pipe-freeze nights than Hot Spring. All of its neighbors see more heavy-rain days. Dallas County has the oldest housing nearby, with 56% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Hot Spring | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 19% | 15% | 19 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 52% | 46% | 23 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 23% | 31 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 23% | 15% | 13 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 14% | 18% | 54 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 9.8% | 11% | 42 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 6/yr | 44 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 17/yr | 29 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 48/yr | 48/yr | 37 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 107/yr | 105/yr | 35 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 Hot Spring County: freezing from December to January, 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