Ice dam risk in Artesia, NM
Will your roof get ice dams in Artesia, NM?
0.4 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Artesia sees 0.4 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Artesia averages 4 inches of snow a year and about 2 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 Artesia?
- 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.
Artesia winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| February | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
Artesia next to nearby towns
Artesia ranks 11 of 19 New Mexico cities here for ice-dam days, behind Gallup at 6.1 days.
- Carlsbad, NM 33 mi, 0.2 days
- Roswell, NM 37 mi, 1.3 days
- Lovington, NM 63 mi, 0.1 days
- Hobbs, NM 74 mi, 0.1 days
- Alamogordo, NM 89 mi, 0.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Artesia 6S, 7.1 miles from Artesia. 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.