Ice dam risk in Atlanta, GA
Will your roof get ice dams in Atlanta, GA?
0.1 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Atlanta sees 0.1 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Atlanta averages 2 inches of snow a year and about 1 day 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 Atlanta?
- 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.
Atlanta winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Atlanta next to nearby towns
Atlanta ranks 14 of 101 Georgia cities here for ice-dam days, behind Sandy Springs at 0.2 days.
- East Point, GA 7 mi, 0.1 days
- Decatur, GA 7 mi, 0.1 days
- Brookhaven, GA 8 mi, 0.2 days
- College Park, GA 9 mi, 0.1 days
- Smyrna, GA 9 mi, 0.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Int, 9.3 miles from Atlanta. 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.