Ice dam risk in Greensboro, NC
How often ice dams form in Greensboro
0.8 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Greensboro sees 0.8 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Greensboro averages 7 inches of snow a year and about 5 days 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 Greensboro?
- 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.
Greensboro winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.9 | 2.4 | 0.4 |
| February | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.2 |
| March | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
Greensboro next to nearby towns
Greensboro ranks 11 of 91 North Carolina cities here for ice-dam days, behind Boone at 4.9 days.
- Summerfield, NC 8 mi, 0.8 days
- High Point, NC 12 mi, 0.0 days
- Kernersville, NC 14 mi, 0.8 days
- Archdale, NC 15 mi, 0.0 days
- Elon, NC 18 mi, 1.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Greensboro Airport, 6.7 miles from Greensboro. 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.