Ice dam risk in Altus, OK
Ice dams in Altus, OK: how often
0.6 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Altus sees 0.6 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Altus averages 4 inches of snow a year and about 4 days with snow on the ground. Too little lies on the roof for long. The conditions that make a dam need all three at once: snow, cold at the eave and heat above it.
Do you need to do anything in Altus?
- Nothing for ice dams. If you are buying here and an inspector mentions water at the eaves, ask what they saw: it is far more likely a gutter, flashing or drip-edge problem than ice.
Snowy places are not always the worst: why snowfall misleads.
Altus winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| February | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 |
Altus next to nearby towns
Altus ranks 33 of 45 Oklahoma cities here for ice-dam days, behind Woodward at 2.0 days.
- Lawton, OK 51 mi, 0.1 days
- Elk City, OK 51 mi, 1.1 days
- Burkburnett, TX 58 mi, 0.2 days
- Wichita Falls, TX 68 mi, 0.2 days
- Weatherford, OK 70 mi, 0.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Altus Irig Rsch Station, 4.8 miles from Altus. A dam day is a day with snow on the roof and freezing at the eave while heat or sun melts the snow above it. This describes a normal winter, not this one.