Ice dam risk in Oregon City, OR
Ice dams in Oregon City, OR: how often
0.1 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Oregon City sees 0.1 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Oregon City averages 4 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 Oregon City?
- 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.
Oregon City winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Oregon City next to nearby towns
Oregon City ranks 32 of 57 Oregon cities here for ice-dam days, behind Klamath Falls at 9.8 days.
- West Linn, OR 3 mi, 0.1 days
- Gladstone, OR 3 mi, 0.1 days
- Canby, OR 7 mi, 0.0 days
- Lake Oswego, OR 7 mi, 0.1 days
- Milwaukie, OR 7 mi, 0.1 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Portland Kgw-Tv, 13.1 miles from Oregon City. 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.