Ice dam risk in Fort Morgan, CO
Ice dams in Fort Morgan, CO: how often
6.7 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Fort Morgan, conditions for an ice dam come on about 6.7 days in a normal winter, mostly in December and January.
Fort Morgan averages 23 inches of snow a year and about 24 days with snow on the ground. Most of it comes and goes within a few days. 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 Fort Morgan
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 4.9 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 6.7 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 8.8 | Moderate |
The attic matters less in Fort Morgan than in colder towns: there are only 1.8 days a winter between a typical attic and a sealed one.
Preventing ice dams on a Fort Morgan roof
- 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.
More on when a roof rake is worth it.
Fort Morgan winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.8 | 6.6 | 2.0 |
| February | 3.9 | 5.6 | 1.6 |
| March | 3.8 | 2.3 | 0.5 |
| April | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| May | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| October | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| November | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| December | 4.4 | 6.6 | 2.0 |
Fort Morgan next to nearby towns
Fort Morgan ranks 48 of 53 Colorado cities here for ice-dam days, behind Steamboat Springs at 51.0 days.
- Sterling, CO 40 mi, 11.5 days
- Evans, CO 51 mi, 10.0 days
- Greeley, CO 53 mi, 10.0 days
- Brighton, CO 57 mi, 9.4 days
- Commerce City, CO 59 mi, 9.4 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Ft Morgan, 4.3 miles from Fort Morgan. 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.