Ice dam risk in Framingham, MA
Will your roof get ice dams in Framingham, MA?
13.0 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Framingham, conditions for an ice dam come on about 13.0 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Framingham averages 46 inches of snow a year and about 45 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 Framingham
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 8.1 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 13.0 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 19.0 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 4.9 days a winter here. It does not move the risk band, but it shortens every dam. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 19.0 days.
What to do about ice dams in Framingham
- 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.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Framingham winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13.8 | 15.7 | 5.3 |
| February | 8.9 | 10.6 | 3.3 |
| March | 8.2 | 8.5 | 1.9 |
| April | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| November | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| December | 11.5 | 8.0 | 2.2 |
Framingham next to nearby towns
Framingham ranks 37 of 58 Massachusetts cities here for ice-dam days, behind Pittsfield at 31.3 days.
- Marlborough, MA 6 mi, 13.0 days
- Waltham, MA 11 mi, 18.8 days
- Newton, MA 12 mi, 16.0 days
- Watertown, MA 14 mi, 14.8 days
- Franklin Town, MA 15 mi, 11.7 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Natick, 5.0 miles from Framingham. 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.
- Snow-on-the-ground counts come from a second, nearby station, because the closest one does not record them.