Ice dam risk in Kearney, NE
Will your roof get ice dams in Kearney, NE?
10.1 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Kearney, conditions for an ice dam come on about 10.1 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and December.
Kearney averages 22 inches of snow a year and about 33 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 Kearney
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 6.1 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 10.1 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 15.2 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 4.0 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 15.2 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Kearney 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.
Kearney winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.7 | 10.6 | 3.7 |
| February | 5.6 | 8.3 | 2.6 |
| March | 3.5 | 3.2 | 0.7 |
| April | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| May | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| November | 2.8 | 1.7 | 0.4 |
| December | 3.4 | 8.0 | 2.6 |
Kearney next to nearby towns
Kearney ranks 15 of 16 Nebraska cities here for ice-dam days, behind South Sioux City at 19.2 days.
- Lexington, NE 35 mi, 13.8 days
- Hastings, NE 37 mi, 11.3 days
- Grand Island, NE 41 mi, 11.6 days
- North Platte, NE 92 mi, 9.4 days
- Columbus, NE 103 mi, 12.5 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Kearney 4 NE, 4.0 miles from Kearney. 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.