Ice dam risk in Independence, OR
Will your roof get ice dams in Independence, OR?
0.2 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Independence sees 0.2 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Independence averages 10 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 Independence?
- 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.
Independence winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| February | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| March | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 3.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Independence next to nearby towns
Independence ranks 21 of 57 Oregon cities here for ice-dam days, behind Klamath Falls at 9.8 days.
- Monmouth, OR 2 mi, 0.2 days
- Dallas, OR 7 mi, 0.2 days
- Salem, OR 10 mi, 0.1 days
- Keizer, OR 13 mi, 0.1 days
- Albany, OR 17 mi, 0.1 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Falls City 2 SSW, 12.6 miles from Independence. 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.
- Snow-on-the-ground counts come from a second, nearby station, because the closest one does not record them.