Ice dam risk in Bethlehem, PA
Ice dams in Bethlehem, PA: how often
7.5 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Bethlehem, conditions for an ice dam come on about 7.5 days in a normal winter, mostly in February and January.
Bethlehem averages 33 inches of snow a year and about 31 days with snow on the ground. Plenty falls, but it tends to melt off between storms, which keeps the count lower than the snowfall suggests. That gap is why snowfall alone misleads.
What your attic does to that number in Bethlehem
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 5.1 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 7.5 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 10.5 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 2.4 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 10.5 days.
What to do about ice dams in Bethlehem
- 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.
Bethlehem winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.8 | 8.8 | 2.6 |
| February | 10.8 | 10.8 | 2.8 |
| March | 6.3 | 5.5 | 0.9 |
| April | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| December | 4.6 | 4.6 | 1.1 |
Bethlehem next to nearby towns
Bethlehem ranks 49 of 68 Pennsylvania cities here for ice-dam days, behind St. Marys at 26.9 days.
- Allentown, PA 6 mi, 7.5 days
- Northampton, PA 8 mi, 7.5 days
- Easton, PA 9 mi, 10.6 days
- Emmaus, PA 9 mi, 7.5 days
- Phillipsburg, NJ 11 mi, 10.6 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Allentown Lehigh Vly International Airport, 4.5 miles from Bethlehem. 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.