Lincoln County, Arkansas · Star City
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Lincoln County averages 4 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly midwinter, and 18% of its homes predate 1960.
April brings the most downpours to Lincoln County, part of 17.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
18% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
In Lincoln County, 4.45 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
18% of occupied homes in Lincoln County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
With 120 muggy nights a year, mold in Lincoln County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 12,950 people live in Lincoln County, 559 square miles in southern Arkansas, in roughly 4,390 homes. Star City is the county seat; Gould and Grady are the next largest communities. The county's median home was built in 1984.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Lincoln County ranks 26 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Lincoln County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Lincoln County is milder than most of Arkansas, but not mild enough to skip winterizing. It averaged 34 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 4 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 53rd.
The longest cold spell was straight 8 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about 6°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 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.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 12 and the last spring freeze around Mar 3.
Rainfall is about average for Arkansas. The county gets about 58.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 17.2 days of an inch or more (33rd of 75). Those downpours cluster in February, March and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.45 inches on March 10, 2016. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 9.27 inches (through March 11, 2016).
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 32 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
Roughly 44% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Lincoln near the middle of Arkansas's 75 counties.
The mix runs from 18% built before 1960 to 23% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
33% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 29% 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 120 times a year here, above the Arkansas county median of 105. 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 Lincoln County it's 31% utility gas, 51% electric, 15% propane and 3% 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 Lincoln County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Lincoln gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Desha County has the oldest housing nearby, with 57% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Lincoln | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 15% | 21 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 44% | 46% | 41 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 23% | 23% | 40 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 29% | 15% | 3 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 18% | 37 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 18% | 11% | 22 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 4/yr | 6/yr | 53 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 17/yr | 33 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 32/yr | 48/yr | 66 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 120/yr | 105/yr | 8 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 Lincoln County: freezing from midwinter, heavy rain in February, March 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