Ice dam risk in Scottsbluff, NE
Will your roof get ice dams in Scottsbluff, NE?
11.1 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Scottsbluff, conditions for an ice dam come on about 11.1 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and December.
Scottsbluff averages 40 inches of snow a year and about 41 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 Scottsbluff
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 8.0 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 11.1 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 15.0 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 3.1 days a winter here. It does not move the risk band, but it shortens every dam. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 15.0 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Scottsbluff 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.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Scottsbluff winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.6 | 10.9 | 3.3 |
| February | 8.4 | 7.5 | 2.3 |
| March | 6.4 | 4.9 | 1.1 |
| April | 3.7 | 2.0 | 0.2 |
| May | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| October | 2.3 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| November | 4.7 | 3.4 | 0.8 |
| December | 8.3 | 10.4 | 3.2 |
Scottsbluff next to nearby towns
Scottsbluff ranks 13 of 16 Nebraska cities here for ice-dam days, behind South Sioux City at 19.2 days.
- Cheyenne, WY 78 mi, 10.3 days
- Sterling, CO 90 mi, 11.5 days
- Wellington, CO 107 mi, 11.6 days
- Laramie, WY 108 mi, 32.6 days
- Fort Morgan, CO 112 mi, 6.7 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Scottsbluff 1E, 1.2 miles from Scottsbluff. 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.