Ice dam risk in Burlington, IA
Will your roof get ice dams in Burlington, IA?
10.0 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Burlington, conditions for an ice dam come on about 10.0 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Burlington averages 22 inches of snow a year and about 34 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 Burlington
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 5.3 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 10.0 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 16.0 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 4.8 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 16.0 days.
What to do about ice dams in Burlington
- 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.
Burlington winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.3 | 13.4 | 4.7 |
| February | 5.8 | 8.5 | 2.5 |
| March | 2.1 | 3.3 | 0.6 |
| April | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| December | 5.3 | 7.2 | 2.1 |
Burlington next to nearby towns
Burlington ranks 41 of 41 Iowa cities here for ice-dam days, behind Mason City at 28.7 days.
- Macomb, IL 33 mi, 10.6 days
- Galesburg, IL 40 mi, 13.8 days
- Muscatine, IA 42 mi, 12.0 days
- Rock Island, IL 54 mi, 14.0 days
- Moline, IL 57 mi, 15.9 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Burlington 2S, 2.3 miles from Burlington. 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.