Van Buren County, Arkansas · Clinton
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With 10% of homes built before 1960 and about 12 hard-freeze nights a year, frozen and split pipes are a leading winter risk in the county.
Basements flood here mostly in May. Van Buren County averages 16.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more.
10% 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.
Van Buren County's wettest day in the 2015–2024 record brought 4.81 inches, and about 61 freeze-thaw days a year mean ice dams in some winters.
27% of occupied homes in Van Buren County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Arkansas county median of 10.9%.
About 79 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
Van Buren County covers 710 square miles of northern Arkansas, with about 15,998 residents and 9,725 homes. Clinton is the county seat; Fairfield Bay, Dennard and Shirley are the next largest communities. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1986.
44/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Moderate Van Buren County ranks 52 of 75 Arkansas counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Van Buren County ranks highest compared with other Arkansas counties.
Van Buren County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Arkansas. It averaged 66 freezing nights a year over 2015–2024, 12 of them at 20°F or colder, cold enough for pipes in outside walls and crawl spaces to freeze. Among 75 Arkansas counties that's 15th.
On February 16, 2021 the low fell to about -7°F, and in the stretch ending February 2021 the county went 9 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 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 3 and end around Apr 3.
Rainfall is about average for Arkansas. About 16.7 days a year bring an inch or more (38th of 75), most often in May, out of 56.4 inches of total precipitation. On December 28, 2015, 4.81 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 6.51 inches, ending December 28, 2015, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 61 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; Van Buren ranks 58th, with 38% of its homes built before 1980.
Older and newer homes sit side by side here: 10% predate 1960 and 27% are from 2000 or later. Corroded pipe is the typical failure in the first group, burst supply hoses in the second.
About 35% 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.
Manufactured and mobile homes make up 20% 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.
With 24% of homes empty at survey time, landlords and seasonal owners should shut off the main or schedule checks in winter. An unheated vacant house is also where many policies limit freeze coverage.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 79 times a year here, below the Arkansas county median of 105. 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, Van Buren County homes break down as 12% utility gas, 59% electric, 19% propane and 7% 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 Van Buren County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Searcy and Stone get more pipe-freeze nights than Van Buren. Conway County has the oldest housing nearby, with 46% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Van Buren | Arkansas median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 9.5% | 15% | 62 of 75 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 38% | 46% | 58 of 75 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 27% | 23% | 17 of 75 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 20% | 15% | 18 of 75 |
| Vacant homes | 24% | 18% | 15 of 75 |
| Wood or propane heat | 27% | 11% | 11 of 75 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 12/yr | 6/yr | 15 of 75 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 17/yr | 38 of 75 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 61/yr | 48/yr | 15 of 75 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 79/yr | 105/yr | 63 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 Van Buren 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