Randolph County, Arkansas · Pocahontas
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Pipes freeze in Randolph County on about 13 nights a year, mostly December to February. Older homes, 12% of the stock here, are most at risk.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Randolph County averages 15 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
Sewage backups in Randolph County spike on heavy-rain days, about 15 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 62 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
34% of occupied homes in Randolph County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
With 87 muggy nights a year, mold in Randolph County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
With 8,656 homes and around 18,838 residents, Randolph County is 652 square miles of northeast Arkansas. Besides Pocahontas, the county seat, the biggest communities are Biggers, Reyno and Maynard. Half the homes here were built before 1979, half after.
43/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Randolph County ranks 55 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Randolph County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Randolph County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Arkansas. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 13 nights a year at or below 20°F (12th of 75) and 69 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
The longest cold spell was straight 10 days without the temperature rising above freezing, ending in February 2021. The coldest night reached about -2°F on February 16, 2021. Burst pipes usually show up when a spell like that breaks and the ice thaws.
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 7 and end around Mar 28.
Randolph gets fewer downpours than most Arkansas counties, but they still fill basements. Of roughly 54.1 inches of yearly precipitation, the damage comes from the 15 days a year with an inch or more, ranked 60th of 75. March, April and May see the most. The single wettest day in the record: 4.32 inches, August 15, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.97 inches, ending August 16, 2016, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
Freeze-thaw days, below freezing overnight and above it by afternoon, come about 62 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
Roughly 51% of the county's housing was built before 1980. That puts Randolph among the oldest housing stocks of Arkansas's 75 counties.
Housing age is mixed: 12% of homes are pre-1960 and 22% 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.
Here 14% of housing is manufactured homes. Check the skirting and the heat tape on the main water line every fall, because that one exposed line is what freezes.
Beyond water
About 87 nights a year in Randolph County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (58th of 75 counties). May is the wettest month. 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 expectBy main heating fuel, Randolph County homes break down as 34% utility gas, 31% electric, 26% propane and 8% wood. Wood and propane heat are 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 Randolph County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Randolph gets more pipe-freeze nights than any of its neighbors. Clay County has the oldest housing nearby, with 66% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Randolph | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 12% | 15% | 51 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 51% | 46% | 24 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 22% | 23% | 42 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 15% | 42 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 15% | 18% | 49 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 34% | 11% | 8 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 13/yr | 6/yr | 12 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 15/yr | 17/yr | 60 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 62/yr | 48/yr | 13 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 87/yr | 105/yr | 58 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 Randolph 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