Ice dam risk in Auburn, NY
Will your roof get ice dams in Auburn, NY?
26.1 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Auburn, conditions for an ice dam come on about 26.1 days in a normal winter, mostly in February and January.
Auburn averages 109 inches of snow a year and about 85 days with snow on the ground. Snow that lies that long is what turns a little attic heat into a ridge of ice at the eave. The conditions that make a dam need all three at once: snow, cold at the eave and heat above it.
What your attic does to that number in Auburn
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 13.3 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 26.1 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 42.0 | Severe |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 12.7 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 42.0 days.
What to do about ice dams in Auburn
- Air-seal the attic floor: the gaps around the hatch, light fixtures, plumbing stacks and the top plates of interior walls. This is the fix that removes the cause, and it usually costs less than a season of contractor ice removal.
- 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.
- At the next reroof, ask for ice-and-water membrane under the shingles from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the wall line. It does not stop a dam; it stops the leak when one forms.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Auburn winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29.1 | 22.2 | 8.0 |
| February | 25.9 | 23.2 | 8.2 |
| March | 17.2 | 17.0 | 4.3 |
| April | 3.1 | 1.6 | 0.2 |
| May | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 8.8 | 4.6 | 0.7 |
| December | 24.7 | 16.2 | 4.7 |
Auburn next to nearby towns
Auburn ranks 10 of 90 New York cities here for ice-dam days, behind Utica at 46.1 days.
- Geneva, NY 22 mi, 24.0 days
- Syracuse, NY 23 mi, 23.9 days
- Fulton, NY 28 mi, 27.6 days
- Cortland, NY 30 mi, 24.8 days
- Ithaca, NY 34 mi, 22.7 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Auburn, 1.1 miles from Auburn. 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.