Ice dam risk in Clarkston, GA
How often ice dams form in Clarkston
0.1 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Clarkston sees 0.1 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Clarkston averages 2 inches of snow a year and about 1 day with snow on the ground. Too little lies on the roof for long. The conditions that make a dam need all three at once: snow, cold at the eave and heat above it.
Do you need to do anything in Clarkston?
- Nothing for ice dams. If you are buying here and an inspector mentions water at the eaves, ask what they saw: it is far more likely a gutter, flashing or drip-edge problem than ice.
Snowy places are not always the worst: why snowfall misleads.
Clarkston winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Clarkston next to nearby towns
Clarkston ranks 26 of 101 Georgia cities here for ice-dam days, behind Sandy Springs at 0.2 days.
- Tucker, GA 3 mi, 0.1 days
- Decatur, GA 4 mi, 0.1 days
- Chamblee, GA 6 mi, 0.2 days
- Brookhaven, GA 6 mi, 0.2 days
- Doraville, GA 7 mi, 0.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Int, 17.1 miles from Clarkston. 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.