Ice dam risk in Loves Park, IL
Ice dams in Loves Park, IL: how often
18.2 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Loves Park, conditions for an ice dam come on about 18.2 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Loves Park averages 37 inches of snow a year and about 55 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 Loves Park
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 8.4 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 18.2 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 30.4 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 9.8 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 30.4 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Loves Park 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.
- At the next reroof, ask for ice-and-water membrane under the shingles from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the wall line. It does not stop a dam; it stops the leak when one forms.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Loves Park winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10.9 | 20.0 | 7.7 |
| February | 8.5 | 14.4 | 4.9 |
| March | 4.9 | 5.3 | 1.1 |
| April | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.3 |
| December | 9.4 | 13.2 | 4.2 |
Loves Park next to nearby towns
Loves Park ranks 37 of 225 Illinois cities here for ice-dam days, behind Arlington Heights at 21.5 days.
- Machesney Park, IL 2 mi, 20.5 days
- Roscoe, IL 6 mi, 20.5 days
- Rockford, IL 6 mi, 18.2 days
- Belvidere, IL 8 mi, 18.2 days
- Beloit, WI 13 mi, 20.5 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Rockford Gtr Rockford Airport, 11.1 miles from Loves Park. 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.