Sebastian County, Arkansas · Fort Smith
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With 21% of homes built before 1960 and about 9 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
May brings the most downpours to Sebastian County, part of 17.7 heavy-rain days a year. Check the sump first.
21% of homes here predate 1960, when clay and cast iron sewer laterals were standard. Roots and cracks in those lines are a common cause of backups.
Sebastian County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 5.99 inches, and about 57 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
2% of occupied homes in Sebastian County heat mainly with wood or propane, below the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
About 101 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
Sebastian County covers 531 square miles of western Arkansas, with about 128,900 residents and 57,470 homes. Fort Smith is the county seat; Greenwood, Barling and Lavaca are the next largest communities. Half the homes here were built before 1981, half after.
69/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Sebastian County ranks 2 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Sebastian County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Sebastian County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Arkansas. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 9 nights a year at or below 20°F (24th of 75) and 60 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 -7°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 December 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.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 11 and end around Mar 23.
Rainfall is about average for Arkansas. About 17.7 days a year bring an inch or more (27th of 75), most often in May, out of 58.3 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2015, 5.99 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 8.47 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 57 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; Sebastian ranks 32nd, with 49% of its homes built before 1980.
21% were built before 1960. Homes from that era often still have galvanized steel supply pipe, which rusts from the inside until it pinholes, and cast iron drains that crack with age. Slow leaks behind walls are a common start to water damage in these houses.
About 27% 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.
Renters occupy 39% 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
About 101 nights a year in Sebastian County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (41st 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 expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Sebastian County it's 45% utility gas, 52% electric, under 1% 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 Sebastian County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crawford and Franklin get more pipe-freeze nights than Sebastian. Logan County has the oldest housing nearby, with 52% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Sebastian | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 21% | 15% | 11 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 49% | 46% | 32 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 24% | 23% | 32 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 3.6% | 15% | 74 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 9.2% | 18% | 66 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 2.1% | 11% | 75 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 9/yr | 6/yr | 24 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 18/yr | 17/yr | 27 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 57/yr | 48/yr | 24 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 101/yr | 105/yr | 41 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 Sebastian County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in April, May and August.
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