Ice dam risk in Inkster, MI
How often ice dams form in Inkster
14.1 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Inkster, conditions for an ice dam come on about 14.1 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Inkster averages 45 inches of snow a year and about 47 days with snow on the ground. Most of it comes and goes within a few days. The conditions that make a dam need all three at once: snow, cold at the eave and heat above it.
What your attic does to that number in Inkster
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 7.0 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 14.1 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 22.9 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 7.1 days a winter here. It does not move the risk band, but it shortens every dam. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 22.9 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Inkster roof
- Air-seal the attic floor: the gaps around the hatch, light fixtures, plumbing stacks and the top plates of interior walls. This is the fix that removes the cause, and it usually costs less than a season of contractor ice removal.
- Rake the bottom three or four feet of roof after any storm that leaves more than about six inches, from the ground with a roof rake.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Inkster winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.0 | 17.2 | 6.0 |
| February | 12.5 | 13.7 | 4.4 |
| March | 6.2 | 6.2 | 1.2 |
| April | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.2 |
| December | 8.9 | 8.1 | 2.2 |
Inkster next to nearby towns
Inkster ranks 80 of 90 Michigan cities here for ice-dam days, behind Sault Ste. Marie at 48.8 days.
- Garden City, MI 2 mi, 14.2 days
- Dearborn Heights, MI 3 mi, 14.2 days
- Westland, MI 4 mi, 14.1 days
- Wayne, MI 4 mi, 14.1 days
- Romulus, MI 5 mi, 14.1 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Detroit Metro Airport, 4.4 miles from Inkster. 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.