Ice dam risk in Fort Smith, AR
Ice dams in Fort Smith, AR: how often
0.2 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Fort Smith sees 0.2 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Fort Smith averages 3 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 Fort Smith?
- 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.
Fort Smith winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Fort Smith next to nearby towns
Fort Smith ranks 22 of 39 Arkansas cities here for ice-dam days, behind Springdale at 1.2 days.
- Van Buren, AR 7 mi, 0.2 days
- Farmington, AR 48 mi, 0.9 days
- Fayetteville, AR 51 mi, 0.9 days
- Tahlequah, OK 52 mi, 0.5 days
- Siloam Springs, AR 58 mi, 1.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Ft Smith Regional Airport, 1.1 miles from Fort Smith. 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.