Ice dam risk in Salem, OR
Ice dams in Salem, OR: how often
0.1 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Salem sees 0.1 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Salem 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 Salem?
- 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.
Salem winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Salem next to nearby towns
Salem ranks 23 of 57 Oregon cities here for ice-dam days, behind Klamath Falls at 9.8 days.
- Keizer, OR 5 mi, 0.1 days
- Independence, OR 10 mi, 0.2 days
- Monmouth, OR 11 mi, 0.2 days
- Silverton, OR 13 mi, 0.1 days
- Dallas, OR 14 mi, 0.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Silverton, 13.4 miles from Salem. 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.