Ice dam risk in Danville, VA
Will your roof get ice dams in Danville, VA?
0.8 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Danville sees 0.8 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Danville averages 5 inches of snow a year and about 5 days 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 Danville?
- 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.
Danville winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.5 | 1.7 | 0.3 |
| February | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.3 |
| March | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.2 |
Danville next to nearby towns
Danville ranks 26 of 39 Virginia cities here for ice-dam days, behind Winchester at 4.7 days.
- Eden, NC 19 mi, 0.5 days
- Reidsville, NC 23 mi, 1.0 days
- Martinsville, VA 26 mi, 0.5 days
- Elon, NC 34 mi, 1.0 days
- Burlington, NC 35 mi, 0.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Danville 2 SE, 2.9 miles from Danville. 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.