Ice dam risk in Hot Springs, AR
Ice dams in Hot Springs, AR: how often
0.1 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Hot Springs sees 0.1 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Hot Springs averages 1 inch 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 Hot Springs?
- 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.
Hot Springs winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Hot Springs next to nearby towns
Hot Springs ranks 32 of 39 Arkansas cities here for ice-dam days, behind Springdale at 1.2 days.
- Malvern, AR 15 mi, 0.2 days
- Benton, AR 28 mi, 0.0 days
- Bryant, AR 33 mi, 0.0 days
- Little Rock, AR 43 mi, 0.3 days
- Maumelle, AR 45 mi, 0.3 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Hot Springs 1 NNE, 1.6 miles from Hot Springs. 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.