Ice dam risk in Marion, AR
How often ice dams form in Marion
0.2 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Marion sees 0.2 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Marion averages 2 inches of snow a year and about 1 day 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 Marion?
- 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.
Marion winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Marion next to nearby towns
Marion ranks 28 of 39 Arkansas cities here for ice-dam days, behind Springdale at 1.2 days.
- West Memphis, AR 4 mi, 0.2 days
- Memphis, TN 15 mi, 0.2 days
- Millington, TN 20 mi, 0.3 days
- Horn Lake, MS 20 mi, 0.2 days
- Southaven, MS 22 mi, 0.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from W Memphis, 5.7 miles from Marion. 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.