Pope County, Arkansas · Russellville
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With 9% of homes built before 1960 and about 11 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 17.4 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 Pope County gets about 17.4 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Pope County, 4.98 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
5% of occupied homes in Pope County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
About 85 nights a year here stay at 65°F or warmer, so basements and crawl spaces can grow mold even without a leak.
Local risk profile
Pope County covers 811 square miles of northwest Arkansas, with about 64,131 residents and 27,156 homes. The county seat is Russellville, and Pottsville, Atkins and Dover round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1988.
46/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Pope County ranks 45 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pope County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Pope County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Arkansas. It averaged 64 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 11 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 17th.
Cold snaps are the real risk. The worst in the record lasted 7 days below freezing (ending February 2021), and the low bottomed out near -7°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 3 and end around Apr 1.
Rainfall is about average for Arkansas. The county gets about 55.7 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 17.4 days of an inch or more (29th of 75). Those downpours cluster in March, April and May, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.98 inches on December 28, 2015. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.73 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 60 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; Pope ranks 61st, with 36% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 28% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 36% 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 12% 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
About 85 nights a year in Pope County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (59th of 75 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 expectMain heating fuel in Pope County's occupied homes: 24% utility gas, 69% electric, 2% propane and 2% wood. Most homes here heat with gas or electricity, so cooking and electrical faults are the likelier fire sources. Even a contained kitchen fire can send soot through the ductwork to every room.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Pope County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Johnson, Newton, Searcy and Van Buren get more pipe-freeze nights than Pope. Logan County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pope | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 8.6% | 15% | 65 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 36% | 46% | 61 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 28% | 23% | 15 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 12% | 15% | 58 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 10% | 18% | 65 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.7% | 11% | 64 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 11/yr | 6/yr | 17 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 17/yr | 29 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 60/yr | 48/yr | 17 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 85/yr | 105/yr | 59 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 Pope 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