Ice dam risk in Forrest City, AR
Ice dams in Forrest City, AR: how often
0.3 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Forrest City sees 0.3 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Forrest City averages 2 inches of snow a year and about 2 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 Forrest City?
- 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.
Forrest City winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Forrest City next to nearby towns
Forrest City ranks 21 of 39 Arkansas cities here for ice-dam days, behind Springdale at 1.2 days.
- West Memphis, AR 35 mi, 0.2 days
- Marion, AR 36 mi, 0.2 days
- Horn Lake, MS 42 mi, 0.2 days
- Southaven, MS 46 mi, 0.2 days
- Hernando, MS 47 mi, 0.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Wynne, 16.7 miles from Forrest City. 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.