St. Francis County, Arkansas · Forrest City
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With 13% of homes built before 1960 and about 5 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 16.6 times a year here, most often in March. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which St. Francis County gets about 16.6 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In St. Francis County, 4.59 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
11% of occupied homes in St. Francis County heat mainly with wood or propane, close to the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
Muggy summer nights, lows of 65°F or more, come about 116 times a year in St. Francis County. Mold after a leak spreads fastest from June through August.
Local risk profile
St. Francis County covers 635 square miles of eastern Arkansas, with about 22,400 residents and 9,570 homes. The county seat is Forrest City, and Hughes, Palestine and Colt round out the largest towns. Half the homes here were built before 1980, half after.
47/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated St. Francis County ranks 43 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where St. Francis County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Pipe-freeze risk in St. Francis County sits near the middle of the state. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 5 nights a year at or below 20°F (44th of 75) and 38 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about 1°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 8 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
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 14 and end around Mar 10.
Rainfall is about average for Arkansas. The county gets about 57.9 inches of rain and melted snow a year, with 16.6 days of an inch or more (39th of 75). Those downpours cluster in February, March and April, when sump pumps and gutters are tested hardest. The wettest day on record brought 4.59 inches on March 10, 2016. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.78 inches, ending March 11, 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 33 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
Arkansas's 75 counties range widely in housing age; St. Francis ranks 29th, with 50% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 13% predate 1960 and 16% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 34% 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 14% 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.
Renters occupy 45% 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 116 nights a year in St. Francis County stay at 65°F or warmer, a sign of muggy summer air (16th of 75 counties). March 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 expectBy main heating fuel, St. Francis County homes break down as 31% utility gas, 57% electric, 10% 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 St. Francis County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Crittenden, Cross and Woodruff get more pipe-freeze nights than St. Francis. Lee County has the oldest housing nearby, with 62% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | St. Francis | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 13% | 15% | 45 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 50% | 46% | 29 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 16% | 23% | 64 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 15% | 45 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 19% | 18% | 34 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 11% | 11% | 37 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 | 39 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 33/yr | 48/yr | 64 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 116/yr | 105/yr | 16 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 St. Francis County: freezing from January, heavy rain in February, March and April.
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