Ice dam risk in Horn Lake, MS
Ice dams in Horn Lake, MS: how often
0.2 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Horn Lake sees 0.2 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Horn Lake averages 3 inches of snow a year and about 2 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 Horn Lake?
- 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.
Horn Lake winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| February | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Horn Lake next to nearby towns
Horn Lake ranks 3 of 41 Mississippi cities here for ice-dam days, behind Southaven at 0.2 days.
- Southaven, MS 4 mi, 0.2 days
- Hernando, MS 8 mi, 0.2 days
- Memphis, TN 12 mi, 0.2 days
- Olive Branch, MS 12 mi, 0.2 days
- West Memphis, AR 16 mi, 0.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Memphis International Airport, 8.0 miles from Horn Lake. 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.