Saline County, Arkansas · Benton
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Saline County averages 5 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly January, and 7% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 18.8 times a year here, most often in May. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Sewage backups in Saline County spike on heavy-rain days, about 18.8 a year, when sewer mains fill up and water finds the lowest drain.
Roof leaks here come from summer downpours and, with about 48 freeze-thaw days a year, from winter ice dams. Most show up as ceiling stains in the room below.
5% of occupied homes in Saline County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
About 107 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
About 127,479 people live in Saline County, 724 square miles in central Arkansas, in roughly 52,934 homes. Besides Benton, the county seat, the biggest communities are Bryant, Hot Springs Village and East End. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1997.
42/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Saline County ranks 57 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Saline County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in Saline County sits near the middle of the state. From 2015–2024 it averaged 5 nights a year at 20°F or colder, the range where pipes in exterior walls, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze, and 50 nights at or below 32°F. That ranks 44th of 75 counties.
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 -1°F on February 16, 2021.
Expect the hardest freezes in January, inside a season that runs January. That's when an outdoor spigot left connected to a hose, or a pipe in a crawl space, is most likely to split.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 11 and end around Mar 20.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Arkansas. About 18.8 days a year bring an inch or more (10th of 75), most often in May, out of 59.6 inches of total precipitation. On April 30, 2016, 4.63 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 9.16 inches, ending February 23, 2018, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 48 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
Arkansas's 75 counties range widely in housing age; Saline ranks 72nd, with 25% of its homes built before 1980.
Growth since 2000 added 45% 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 30% 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.
Here 15% 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
Saline County averages 107 warm, muggy nights a year (lows of 65°F or more) and gets the most rain in May. 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, Saline County homes break down as 38% utility gas, 57% electric, 3% propane and 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 Saline County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Garland and Perry get more pipe-freeze nights than Saline. Hot Spring County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Saline | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 7.1% | 15% | 71 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 25% | 46% | 72 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 45% | 23% | 3 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 15% | 15% | 38 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 5.2% | 18% | 75 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 4.5% | 11% | 67 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 5/yr | 6/yr | 44 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 19/yr | 17/yr | 10 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 48/yr | 48/yr | 37 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 107/yr | 105/yr | 35 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 Saline County: freezing from January, 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