Ice dam risk in Hampton, VA
Ice dams in Hampton, VA: how often
0.4 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Hampton sees 0.4 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Hampton averages 3 inches of snow a year and about 3 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 Hampton?
- 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.
Hampton winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.4 | 2.0 | 0.3 |
| February | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Hampton next to nearby towns
Hampton ranks 32 of 39 Virginia cities here for ice-dam days, behind Winchester at 4.7 days.
- Poquoson, VA 6 mi, 0.4 days
- Norfolk, VA 9 mi, 0.1 days
- Newport News, VA 13 mi, 0.4 days
- Portsmouth, VA 13 mi, 0.1 days
- Virginia Beach, VA 24 mi, 0.3 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Langley Afb, 3.8 miles from Hampton. 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.