Ice dam risk in Brigham City, UT
Will your roof get ice dams in Brigham City, UT?
14.3 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Brigham City, conditions for an ice dam come on about 14.3 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Brigham City averages 38 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 Brigham City
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 9.9 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 14.3 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 19.7 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 4.4 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 19.7 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Brigham City 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.
Brigham City winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12.2 | 20.6 | 6.4 |
| February | 7.5 | 14.3 | 3.5 |
| March | 4.2 | 2.5 | 0.4 |
| April | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 4.1 | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| December | 8.6 | 12.4 | 3.7 |
Brigham City next to nearby towns
Brigham City ranks 32 of 67 Utah cities here for ice-dam days, behind Ogden at 37.2 days.
- Pleasant View, UT 13 mi, 37.2 days
- Hyrum, UT 14 mi, 24.8 days
- North Ogden, UT 14 mi, 37.2 days
- Tremonton, UT 16 mi, 15.7 days
- Logan, UT 19 mi, 23.3 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Brigham City Waste Plt, 1.3 miles from Brigham City. 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.