Ice dam risk in Fremont, NE
Will your roof get ice dams in Fremont, NE?
12.8 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Fremont, conditions for an ice dam come on about 12.8 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Fremont averages 32 inches of snow a year and about 41 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 Fremont
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 6.9 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 12.8 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 20.3 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 5.9 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 20.3 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Fremont roof
- 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.
Fremont winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.4 | 14.3 | 5.1 |
| February | 9.5 | 11.6 | 3.7 |
| March | 5.0 | 3.8 | 0.7 |
| April | 1.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| May | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| December | 6.2 | 9.3 | 3.1 |
Fremont next to nearby towns
Fremont ranks 6 of 16 Nebraska cities here for ice-dam days, behind South Sioux City at 19.2 days.
- Omaha, NE 26 mi, 12.2 days
- La Vista, NE 28 mi, 14.4 days
- Papillion, NE 29 mi, 14.4 days
- Bellevue, NE 35 mi, 12.2 days
- Council Bluffs, IA 36 mi, 12.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Valley NWS, 10.4 miles from Fremont. 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.