Ice dam risk in Port Townsend, WA
Will your roof get ice dams in Port Townsend, WA?
0.0 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Port Townsend sees 0.0 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Port Townsend averages 1 inch of snow a year and about 1 day 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 Port Townsend?
- 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.
Port Townsend winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Port Townsend next to nearby towns
Port Townsend ranks 91 of 91 Washington cities here for ice-dam days, behind Spokane at 13.0 days.
- Oak Harbor, WA 14 mi, 0.2 days
- Anacortes, WA 26 mi, 0.2 days
- Mukilteo, WA 27 mi, 0.3 days
- Poulsbo, WA 27 mi, 0.1 days
- Edmonds, WA 29 mi, 0.1 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Port Townsend, 1.4 miles from Port Townsend. 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.