Ice dam risk in Berwick, PA
Will your roof get ice dams in Berwick, PA?
16.8 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Berwick, conditions for an ice dam come on about 16.8 days in a normal winter, mostly in February and January.
Berwick averages 46 inches of snow a year and about 52 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 Berwick
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 8.6 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 16.8 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 27.0 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 8.2 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 27.0 days.
What to do about ice dams in Berwick
- 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.
Berwick winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12.3 | 16.9 | 6.4 |
| February | 12.9 | 17.1 | 5.9 |
| March | 8.6 | 8.0 | 1.9 |
| April | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| October | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| December | 8.0 | 8.2 | 2.4 |
Berwick next to nearby towns
Berwick ranks 9 of 68 Pennsylvania cities here for ice-dam days, behind St. Marys at 26.9 days.
- Bloomsburg, PA 11 mi, 10.7 days
- Hazleton, PA 16 mi, 17.9 days
- Nanticoke, PA 16 mi, 14.4 days
- Wilkes-Barre, PA 24 mi, 14.4 days
- Kingston, PA 24 mi, 14.4 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Benton 3 NE, 13.1 miles from Berwick. 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.