Ice dam risk in Endicott, NY
Will your roof get ice dams in Endicott, NY?
26.0 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Endicott, conditions for an ice dam come on about 26.0 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Endicott averages 87 inches of snow a year and about 81 days with snow on the ground. Snow that lies that long is what turns a little attic heat into a ridge of ice at the eave. 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 Endicott
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 11.8 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 26.0 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 43.6 | Severe |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 14.2 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 43.6 days.
What to do about ice dams in Endicott
- 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.
- At the next reroof, ask for ice-and-water membrane under the shingles from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the wall line. It does not stop a dam; it stops the leak when one forms.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Endicott winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20.6 | 22.1 | 8.5 |
| February | 19.7 | 21.0 | 7.5 |
| March | 16.4 | 14.6 | 3.7 |
| April | 3.8 | 2.0 | 0.2 |
| May | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| November | 6.8 | 4.8 | 0.9 |
| December | 18.1 | 15.9 | 5.2 |
Endicott next to nearby towns
Endicott ranks 14 of 90 New York cities here for ice-dam days, behind Utica at 46.1 days.
- Johnson City, NY 5 mi, 26.0 days
- Binghamton, NY 8 mi, 26.0 days
- Ithaca, NY 33 mi, 22.7 days
- Cortland, NY 35 mi, 24.8 days
- Elmira, NY 38 mi, 17.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Binghamton, 8.1 miles from Endicott. 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.