Ice dam risk in Golden, CO
How often ice dams form in Golden
10.6 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Golden, conditions for an ice dam come on about 10.6 days in a normal winter, mostly in December and January.
Golden averages 58 inches of snow a year and about 47 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 Golden
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 8.6 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 10.6 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 13.2 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 2.1 days a winter here. It does not move the risk band, but it shortens every dam.
Preventing ice dams on a Golden 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.
Golden winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8.0 | 9.5 | 2.5 |
| February | 8.6 | 9.6 | 2.5 |
| March | 9.2 | 6.2 | 1.2 |
| April | 9.1 | 3.0 | 0.3 |
| May | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| September | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 5.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 |
| November | 9.2 | 5.6 | 1.2 |
| December | 6.7 | 10.3 | 2.7 |
Golden next to nearby towns
Golden ranks 25 of 53 Colorado cities here for ice-dam days, behind Steamboat Springs at 51.0 days.
- Lakewood, CO 6 mi, 10.6 days
- Wheat Ridge, CO 6 mi, 13.3 days
- Arvada, CO 7 mi, 13.3 days
- Westminster, CO 12 mi, 7.7 days
- Englewood, CO 13 mi, 7.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Lakewood, 4.8 miles from Golden. 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.