Ice dam risk in Martinsville, VA
Ice dams in Martinsville, VA: how often
0.5 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Martinsville sees 0.5 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Martinsville averages 9 inches of snow a year and about 3 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 Martinsville?
- 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.
Martinsville winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| February | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| March | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
Martinsville next to nearby towns
Martinsville ranks 29 of 39 Virginia cities here for ice-dam days, behind Winchester at 4.7 days.
- Eden, NC 14 mi, 0.5 days
- Reidsville, NC 26 mi, 1.0 days
- Danville, VA 26 mi, 0.8 days
- Summerfield, NC 34 mi, 0.8 days
- Greensboro, NC 41 mi, 0.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Martinsville Fltr Plt, 1.5 miles from Martinsville. 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.