Ice dam risk in Kelso, WA
How often ice dams form in Kelso
0.2 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Kelso sees 0.2 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Kelso averages 2 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 Kelso?
- 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.
Kelso winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
Kelso next to nearby towns
Kelso ranks 64 of 91 Washington cities here for ice-dam days, behind Spokane at 13.0 days.
- Longview, WA 4 mi, 0.2 days
- St. Helens, OR 18 mi, 0.2 days
- Ridgefield, WA 23 mi, 0.0 days
- Battle Ground, WA 29 mi, 0.0 days
- Vancouver, WA 36 mi, 0.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Clatskanie, 15.3 miles from Kelso. 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.