Ice dam risk in American Fork, UT
How often ice dams form in American Fork
8.2 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in American Fork, conditions for an ice dam come on about 8.2 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and December.
American Fork averages 41 inches of snow a year and about 33 days with snow on the ground. Plenty falls, but it tends to melt off between storms, which keeps the count lower than the snowfall suggests. That gap is why snowfall alone misleads.
What your attic does to that number in American Fork
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 6.2 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 8.2 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 10.6 | Moderate |
The attic matters less in American Fork than in colder towns: there are only 2.0 days a winter between a typical attic and a sealed one.
Preventing ice dams on a American Fork roof
- Rake the bottom three or four feet of roof after any storm that leaves more than about six inches, from the ground with a roof rake.
More on when a roof rake is worth it.
American Fork winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.5 | 13.8 | 3.8 |
| February | 8.3 | 6.5 | 1.4 |
| March | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| April | 2.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| May | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 3.5 | 1.5 | 0.2 |
| December | 10.3 | 9.9 | 2.7 |
American Fork next to nearby towns
American Fork ranks 50 of 67 Utah cities here for ice-dam days, behind Ogden at 37.2 days.
- Pleasant Grove, UT 3 mi, 8.2 days
- Highland, UT 3 mi, 17.0 days
- Lindon, UT 5 mi, 8.2 days
- Lehi, UT 5 mi, 17.2 days
- Vineyard, UT 5 mi, 8.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Pleasant Grove, 3.3 miles from American Fork. 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.