Ice dam risk in Payson, UT
Will your roof get ice dams in Payson, UT?
15.9 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Payson, conditions for an ice dam come on about 15.9 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and December.
Payson averages 55 inches of snow a year and about 61 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 Payson
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 11.6 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 15.9 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 21.3 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 4.3 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 21.3 days.
What to do about ice dams in Payson
- 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.
Payson winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13.4 | 20.0 | 5.8 |
| February | 13.3 | 14.0 | 3.4 |
| March | 6.9 | 3.7 | 0.6 |
| April | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| September | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| November | 5.6 | 5.2 | 1.0 |
| December | 11.7 | 17.2 | 5.1 |
Payson next to nearby towns
Payson ranks 26 of 67 Utah cities here for ice-dam days, behind Ogden at 37.2 days.
- Salem, UT 4 mi, 14.8 days
- Santaquin, UT 5 mi, 15.9 days
- Spanish Fork, UT 7 mi, 14.8 days
- Mapleton, UT 10 mi, 14.8 days
- Springville, UT 11 mi, 9.3 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Santaquin Chlorinator, 5.8 miles from Payson. 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.