Ice dam risk in Oneida, NY
Ice dams in Oneida, NY: how often
27.3 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Oneida, conditions for an ice dam come on about 27.3 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Oneida averages 151 inches of snow a year and about 80 days with snow on the ground. Snow that lies that long is what turns a little attic heat into a ridge of ice at the eave. 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 Oneida
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 12.5 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 27.3 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 45.7 | Severe |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 14.8 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 45.7 days.
What to do about ice dams in Oneida
- 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.
Oneida winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41.4 | 22.7 | 9.0 |
| February | 38.0 | 21.6 | 8.2 |
| March | 17.1 | 14.9 | 4.1 |
| April | 2.9 | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| October | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 15.6 | 4.3 | 0.8 |
| December | 35.2 | 15.2 | 5.0 |
Oneida next to nearby towns
Oneida ranks 7 of 90 New York cities here for ice-dam days, behind Utica at 46.1 days.
- Rome, NY 14 mi, 46.1 days
- Utica, NY 23 mi, 46.1 days
- Syracuse, NY 24 mi, 23.9 days
- Fulton, NY 41 mi, 27.6 days
- Cortland, NY 41 mi, 24.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Camden, 19.9 miles from Oneida. 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.
- Snow-on-the-ground counts come from a second, nearby station, because the closest one does not record them.