Polk County, Arkansas · Mena
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Polk County averages 9 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 18% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 19 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Polk County gets about 19 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Polk County, 6.71 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
19% of occupied homes in Polk County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
With 84 muggy nights a year, mold in Polk County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 9,643 homes and around 19,361 residents, Polk County is 857 square miles of western Arkansas. Besides Mena, the county seat, the biggest communities are Wickes, Grannis and Hatfield. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
66/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Polk County ranks 5 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Polk County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Polk County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Arkansas. From 2015–2024 it averaged 9 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 61 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 24th of 75 counties.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 8 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -10°F on February 16, 2021.
The freeze season here runs December to February, with January the coldest. If you travel then, leave the thermostat at 55°F or above and open sink cabinets on outside walls.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 4 and end around Mar 30.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Arkansas. About 19 days a year bring an inch or more (8th of 75), most often in May, out of 61.7 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2015, 6.71 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.97 inches, ending December 28, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
The temperature crosses 32°F in both directions on roughly 58 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; Polk ranks 53rd, with 41% of its homes built before 1980.
The mix runs from 18% built before 1960 to 27% built since 2000, so older neighborhoods bring aging pipe while newer subdivisions bring failed appliance lines and water heaters.
About 33% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 18% 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 84 times a year here, below 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Polk County homes break down as 18% utility gas, 59% electric, 9% propane and 10% wood. Wood 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 Polk County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Polk gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Howard County has the oldest housing nearby, with 53% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Polk | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 15% | 23 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 41% | 46% | 53 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 23% | 20 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 18% | 15% | 28 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 18% | 18% | 38 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 19% | 11% | 20 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 9/yr | 6/yr | 24 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 19/yr | 17/yr | 8 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 58/yr | 48/yr | 20 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 84/yr | 105/yr | 60 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 Polk County: freezing from December to February, 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