Ice dam risk in Fulton, NY
Will your roof get ice dams in Fulton, NY?
27.6 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Fulton, conditions for an ice dam come on about 27.6 days in a normal winter, mostly in February and January.
Fulton averages 159 inches of snow a year and about 93 days with snow on the ground. Snow that lies that long is what turns a little attic heat into a ridge of ice at the eave. 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 Fulton
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 14.4 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 27.6 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 44.0 | Severe |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 13.1 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 44.0 days.
What to do about ice dams in Fulton
- 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.
- At the next reroof, ask for ice-and-water membrane under the shingles from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the wall line. It does not stop a dam; it stops the leak when one forms.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Fulton winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50.2 | 25.8 | 8.8 |
| February | 47.7 | 26.3 | 9.0 |
| March | 17.0 | 16.5 | 4.0 |
| April | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| May | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 9.8 | 5.1 | 0.7 |
| December | 31.5 | 18.1 | 4.9 |
Fulton next to nearby towns
Fulton ranks 6 of 90 New York cities here for ice-dam days, behind Utica at 46.1 days.
- Oswego, NY 10 mi, 26.0 days
- Syracuse, NY 24 mi, 23.9 days
- Auburn, NY 28 mi, 26.1 days
- Oneida, NY 41 mi, 27.3 days
- Geneva, NY 42 mi, 24.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Fulton, 1.6 miles from Fulton. 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.