Ice dam risk in Reedsburg, WI
How often ice dams form in Reedsburg
25.3 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Reedsburg, conditions for an ice dam come on about 25.3 days in a normal winter, mostly in February and January.
Reedsburg averages 44 inches of snow a year and about 71 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 Reedsburg
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 10.8 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 25.3 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 43.4 | Severe |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 14.5 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 43.4 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Reedsburg roof
- 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.
Reedsburg winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.9 | 20.5 | 8.4 |
| February | 14.8 | 23.8 | 9.3 |
| March | 5.1 | 9.5 | 2.3 |
| April | 2.7 | 1.5 | 0.2 |
| October | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.7 | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| December | 9.3 | 13.7 | 4.7 |
Reedsburg next to nearby towns
Reedsburg ranks 48 of 98 Wisconsin cities here for ice-dam days, behind Wausau at 41.6 days.
- Baraboo, WI 14 mi, 26.0 days
- Waunakee, WI 37 mi, 26.5 days
- Middleton, WI 38 mi, 22.2 days
- DeForest, WI 39 mi, 28.8 days
- Windsor, WI 41 mi, 28.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Reedsburg Wwtp, 0.9 miles from Reedsburg. 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.