Ice dam risk in San Diego, CA
Ice dams in San Diego, CA: how often
0.0 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in San Diego sees 0.0 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
San Diego averages 0 inches 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 San Diego?
- 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.
San Diego next to nearby towns
San Diego ranks 7 of 376 California cities here for ice-dam days, behind Truckee at 36.3 days.
- La Mesa, CA 7 mi, 0.0 days
- Santee, CA 8 mi, 0.0 days
- Lemon Grove, CA 8 mi, 0.0 days
- El Cajon, CA 10 mi, 0.0 days
- National City, CA 11 mi, 0.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from N Is Nas, 10.9 miles from San Diego. 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.