Ice dam risk in Kirksville, MO
Will your roof get ice dams in Kirksville, MO?
7.9 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Kirksville, conditions for an ice dam come on about 7.9 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Kirksville averages 19 inches of snow a year and about 26 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 Kirksville
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 4.2 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 7.9 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 12.6 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 3.7 days a winter here. It drops the risk from moderate to low. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 12.6 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Kirksville 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.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Kirksville winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.0 | 10.4 | 3.6 |
| February | 4.6 | 7.8 | 2.3 |
| March | 2.2 | 1.7 | 0.3 |
| April | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| December | 4.0 | 5.5 | 1.6 |
Kirksville next to nearby towns
Kirksville ranks 4 of 80 Missouri cities here for ice-dam days, behind Maryville at 9.3 days.
- Moberly, MO 54 mi, 2.9 days
- Ottumwa, IA 57 mi, 11.9 days
- Quincy, IL 66 mi, 6.7 days
- Hannibal, MO 71 mi, 8.4 days
- Oskaloosa, IA 76 mi, 11.9 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Kirksville, 0.5 miles from Kirksville. 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.