Ice dam risk in Beacon, NY
Ice dams in Beacon, NY: how often
14.8 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Beacon, conditions for an ice dam come on about 14.8 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Beacon averages 36 inches of snow a year and about 58 days with snow on the ground. Most of it comes and goes within a few days. 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 Beacon
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 9.4 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 14.8 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 21.5 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 5.4 days a winter here. It does not move the risk band, but it shortens every dam. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 21.5 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Beacon roof
- 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.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Beacon winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.1 | 19.0 | 5.9 |
| February | 7.1 | 16.2 | 4.4 |
| March | 9.6 | 10.7 | 1.8 |
| April | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| December | 7.0 | 10.7 | 2.5 |
Beacon next to nearby towns
Beacon ranks 53 of 90 New York cities here for ice-dam days, behind Utica at 46.1 days.
- Newburgh, NY 3 mi, 17.1 days
- Poughkeepsie, NY 13 mi, 21.2 days
- Woodbury, NY 14 mi, 14.8 days
- Peekskill, NY 15 mi, 15.5 days
- Kiryas Joel, NY 15 mi, 14.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from W Pt, 7.8 miles from Beacon. 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.
- Snow-on-the-ground counts come from a second, nearby station, because the closest one does not record them.