Ice dam risk in Petal, MS
How often ice dams form in Petal
0.0 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Petal sees 0.0 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Petal 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 Petal?
- 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.
Petal winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Petal next to nearby towns
Petal ranks 38 of 41 Mississippi cities here for ice-dam days, behind Southaven at 0.2 days.
- Hattiesburg, MS 6 mi, 0.0 days
- Laurel, MS 24 mi, 0.0 days
- Bogalusa, LA 54 mi, 0.0 days
- Picayune, MS 62 mi, 0.0 days
- Gulfport, MS 65 mi, 0.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Hattiesburg 5SW, 8.9 miles from Petal. 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.