Pulaski County, Arkansas · Little Rock
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Pipes freeze in Pulaski County on about 5 nights a year, mostly January to February. Older homes, 18% of the stock here, are most at risk.
March brings the most downpours to Pulaski County, part of 17.2 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
Sewage backups in Pulaski County spike on heavy-rain days, about 17.2 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Pulaski County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.87 inches, and about 46 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
2% of occupied homes in Pulaski County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
With 109 muggy nights a year, mold in Pulaski County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 399,818 people live in Pulaski County, 758 square miles in central Arkansas, in roughly 193,408 homes. The county seat is Little Rock, and North Little Rock, Sherwood and Jacksonville round out the largest towns. The county's median home was built in 1981.
55/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Pulaski County ranks 27 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Pulaski County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
For frozen pipes, Pulaski 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 49 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 7 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -1°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs January to February. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
On average the first fall freeze arrives around Nov 12 and the last spring freeze around Mar 17.
Rainfall is about average for Arkansas. About 17.2 days a year bring an inch or more (33rd of 75), most often in March, out of 58.6 inches of total precipitation. On April 30, 2016, 4.87 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).
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 46 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
49% of homes in Pulaski County predate 1980, close to the Arkansas county median of 46%, which ranks 30th of Arkansas's 75 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 18% of homes are pre-1960 and 25% are 2000 or newer. Ask any plumber which era your house is from and you'll know which failures to watch for.
26% 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.
Renters occupy 43% of homes. If you rent, the building is usually the landlord's to repair, but your belongings are only covered by renters insurance.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 109 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Pulaski County it's 50% utility gas, 47% electric, 2% propane and under 1% wood. Heating equipment, cooking and electrical failures cause most home fires nationally. Even a small kitchen fire can leave soot through the whole house, because smoke follows air currents into closets, ducts and attic space.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Pulaski County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Faulkner and Perry get more pipe-freeze nights than Pulaski. Jefferson County has the oldest housing nearby, with 55% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Pulaski | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 18% | 15% | 21 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 46% | 30 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 25% | 23% | 29 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 4.9% | 15% | 71 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 11% | 18% | 62 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 2.2% | 11% | 74 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 | 33 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 46/yr | 48/yr | 44 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 109/yr | 105/yr | 28 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 Pulaski County: freezing from January 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