Ice dam risk in Hartselle, AL
Ice dams in Hartselle, AL: how often
0.2 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Hartselle sees 0.2 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Hartselle averages 2 inches of snow a year and about 1 day 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 Hartselle?
- 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.
Hartselle winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| February | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Hartselle next to nearby towns
Hartselle ranks 4 of 66 Alabama cities here for ice-dam days, behind Fort Payne at 0.3 days.
- Decatur, AL 10 mi, 0.1 days
- Cullman, AL 19 mi, 0.1 days
- Madison, AL 21 mi, 0.2 days
- Huntsville, AL 23 mi, 0.2 days
- Athens, AL 23 mi, 0.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Huntsville Intnl Airport, 16.6 miles from Hartselle. 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.