Ice dam risk in Jackson, TN
Will your roof get ice dams in Jackson, TN?
0.3 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Jackson sees 0.3 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Jackson 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 Jackson?
- 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.
Jackson winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 |
| February | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| April | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Jackson next to nearby towns
Jackson ranks 32 of 65 Tennessee cities here for ice-dam days, behind Crossville at 2.6 days.
- Dyersburg, TN 40 mi, 0.5 days
- Martin, TN 47 mi, 0.5 days
- Oakland, TN 49 mi, 0.2 days
- Corinth, MS 52 mi, 0.1 days
- Paris, TN 53 mi, 0.6 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Jackson Exp Station, 2.6 miles from Jackson. 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.