Ice dam risk in Los Lunas, NM
How often ice dams form in Los Lunas
0.3 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Los Lunas sees 0.3 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Los Lunas averages 5 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 Los Lunas?
- 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.
Los Lunas winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
Los Lunas next to nearby towns
Los Lunas ranks 12 of 19 New Mexico cities here for ice-dam days, behind Gallup at 6.1 days.
- Albuquerque, NM 22 mi, 0.6 days
- Rio Rancho, NM 34 mi, 0.7 days
- Santa Fe, NM 75 mi, 2.2 days
- Española, NM 92 mi, 1.8 days
- Las Vegas, NM 105 mi, 2.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Los Lunas 3 SSW, 2.8 miles from Los Lunas. 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.