Ice dam risk in Pelham, AL
How often ice dams form in Pelham
0.0 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Pelham sees 0.0 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Pelham averages 1 inch of snow a year and about 0 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 Pelham?
- 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.
Pelham winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Pelham next to nearby towns
Pelham ranks 33 of 66 Alabama cities here for ice-dam days, behind Fort Payne at 0.3 days.
- Hoover, AL 5 mi, 0.0 days
- Chelsea, AL 6 mi, 0.0 days
- Helena, AL 9 mi, 0.0 days
- Alabaster, AL 9 mi, 0.0 days
- Vestavia Hills, AL 10 mi, 0.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Bessemer 3 WSW, 16.1 miles from Pelham. 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.