Ice dam risk in Elizabethtown, KY
Ice dams in Elizabethtown, KY: how often
0.3 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Elizabethtown sees 0.3 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Elizabethtown averages 5 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 Elizabethtown?
- 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.
Elizabethtown winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| February | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
Elizabethtown next to nearby towns
Elizabethtown ranks 38 of 42 Kentucky cities here for ice-dam days, behind Fort Thomas at 6.8 days.
- Radcliff, KY 9 mi, 0.3 days
- Shepherdsville, KY 22 mi, 2.3 days
- Bardstown, KY 24 mi, 2.2 days
- Mount Washington, KY 29 mi, 2.3 days
- Louisville/Jefferson County, KY 34 mi, 2.3 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Elizabethtown Wp Cs, 1.7 miles from Elizabethtown. 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.