Ice dam risk in Newcastle, OK
How often ice dams form in Newcastle
0.8 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Newcastle sees 0.8 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Newcastle averages 6 inches of snow a year and about 5 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 Newcastle?
- 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.
Newcastle winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| February | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 |
| March | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.2 |
Newcastle next to nearby towns
Newcastle ranks 26 of 45 Oklahoma cities here for ice-dam days, behind Woodward at 2.0 days.
- Moore, OK 9 mi, 0.8 days
- Mustang, OK 13 mi, 0.8 days
- Norman, OK 14 mi, 0.6 days
- Oklahoma City, OK 16 mi, 0.8 days
- Del City, OK 17 mi, 0.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Blanchard 2 SSW, 9.6 miles from Newcastle. 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.