Ice dam risk in Klamath Falls, OR
Will your roof get ice dams in Klamath Falls, OR?
9.8 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Klamath Falls, conditions for an ice dam come on about 9.8 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and December.
Klamath Falls averages 52 inches of snow a year and about 40 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 Klamath Falls
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 8.7 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 9.8 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 11.2 | Moderate |
The attic matters less in Klamath Falls than in colder towns: there are only 1.1 days a winter between a typical attic and a sealed one.
Preventing ice dams on a Klamath Falls roof
- 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.
More on when a roof rake is worth it.
Klamath Falls winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12.1 | 11.2 | 3.0 |
| February | 10.6 | 7.9 | 1.9 |
| March | 5.8 | 4.2 | 0.9 |
| April | 1.9 | 1.4 | 0.2 |
| May | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 6.6 | 4.0 | 0.8 |
| December | 14.7 | 11.5 | 2.9 |
Klamath Falls next to nearby towns
Klamath Falls ranks 1 of 57 Oregon cities here for ice-dam days, the worst in the state.
- Ashland, OR 47 mi, 0.0 days
- Medford, OR 55 mi, 0.1 days
- Central Point, OR 59 mi, 0.1 days
- Grants Pass, OR 81 mi, 0.0 days
- Roseburg, OR 106 mi, 0.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Keno, 10.7 miles from Klamath Falls. 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.