Ice dam risk in McAlester, OK
Ice dams in McAlester, OK: how often
0.3 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in McAlester sees 0.3 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
McAlester averages 3 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 McAlester?
- 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.
McAlester winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
McAlester next to nearby towns
McAlester ranks 38 of 45 Oklahoma cities here for ice-dam days, behind Woodward at 2.0 days.
- Okmulgee, OK 49 mi, 0.7 days
- Ada, OK 52 mi, 0.2 days
- Muskogee, OK 61 mi, 0.6 days
- Bixby, OK 71 mi, 0.9 days
- Glenpool, OK 72 mi, 0.9 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Tuskahoma, 35.3 miles from McAlester. 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.
- The weather station is 35 miles away, far enough that local snow can differ.