Montgomery County, Arkansas · Mount Ida
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Pipes freeze in Montgomery County on about 8 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 16% of the stock here, are most at risk.
May brings the most downpours to Montgomery County, part of 19.6 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Montgomery County spike on heavy-rain days, about 19.6 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Montgomery County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 6.71 inches, and about 55 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
28% of occupied homes in Montgomery County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 93 times a year in Montgomery County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
Montgomery County covers 780 square miles of western Arkansas, with about 8,553 residents and 5,485 homes. Mount Ida is the county seat; Oden, Norman and Black Springs are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1989.
63/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Montgomery County ranks 10 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Montgomery County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
For frozen pipes, Montgomery County is a typical Arkansas county, which is still plenty. It averaged 58 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 8 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 29th.
The longest cold spell was straight 7 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 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 6 and the last spring freeze around Mar 25.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Arkansas. The county gets about 63.4 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 19.6 days of an inch or more (2nd of 75). Those downpours cluster in April, May and August, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 6.71 inches on December 28, 2015. Multi-day storms matter most for basements; the wettest three days on record here totaled 8.75 inches (through February 23, 2018).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 55 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; Montgomery ranks 63rd, with 35% of its homes built before 1980.
32% of homes were built in 2000 or later, more than in most of Arkansas. Newer plumbing rarely corrodes, so damage here tends to come from appliance supply lines, water heaters, sump pumps and storms.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 33% 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 28% 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.
32% 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
Montgomery County averages 93 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Montgomery County homes break down as 18% utility gas, 49% electric, 16% propane and 12% wood. Wood and propane heat are more common here than in most Arkansas counties. Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires nationally, and the NFPA recommends having chimneys and vents inspected every year.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Montgomery County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Polk and Scott get more pipe-freeze nights than Montgomery. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Hot Spring County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Montgomery | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 16% | 15% | 36 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 35% | 46% | 63 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 32% | 23% | 10 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 28% | 15% | 5 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 32% | 18% | 3 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 28% | 11% | 9 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 8/yr | 6/yr | 29 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 20/yr | 17/yr | 2 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 55/yr | 48/yr | 26 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 93/yr | 105/yr | 52 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 Montgomery County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in April, May and August.
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