Ice dam risk in Raymore, MO
How often ice dams form in Raymore
4.8 dam days a winter
Low risk. On an ordinary house in Raymore, conditions for an ice dam come on about 4.8 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Raymore averages 17 inches of snow a year and about 19 days with snow on the ground. Most of it comes and goes within a few days. 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 Raymore
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 3.0 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 4.8 | Low |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 7.0 | Moderate |
The attic matters less in Raymore than in colder towns: there are only 1.8 days a winter between a typical attic and a sealed one.
What to do about ice dams in Raymore
- Check the gutters before the first snow and clear them, so meltwater has somewhere to go. If you see icicles thicker than a finger along the eave after a storm, that is the early sign to look at the attic.
Snowy places are not always the worst: why snowfall misleads.
Raymore winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.3 | 7.1 | 2.1 |
| February | 4.4 | 5.0 | 1.2 |
| March | 1.8 | 1.7 | 0.2 |
| April | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| May | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| December | 4.5 | 4.5 | 1.2 |
Raymore next to nearby towns
Raymore ranks 16 of 80 Missouri cities here for ice-dam days, behind Maryville at 9.3 days.
- Belton, MO 4 mi, 4.4 days
- Grandview, MO 6 mi, 4.6 days
- Lee's Summit, MO 9 mi, 5.2 days
- Leawood, KS 12 mi, 4.6 days
- Raytown, MO 13 mi, 5.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Pleasant Hill Wfo, 10.4 miles from Raymore. 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.