Ice dam risk in Springfield, MO
Will your roof get ice dams in Springfield, MO?
2.7 dam days a winter
Low risk. On an ordinary house in Springfield, conditions for an ice dam come on about 2.7 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and December.
Springfield averages 14 inches of snow a year and about 12 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 Springfield
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 1.9 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 2.7 | Low |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 3.6 | Low |
The attic matters less in Springfield than in colder towns: there are only 0.8 days a winter between a typical attic and a sealed one.
What to do about ice dams in Springfield
- 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.
Springfield winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.4 | 5.4 | 1.3 |
| February | 3.3 | 2.9 | 0.6 |
| March | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| April | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 3.3 | 2.9 | 0.6 |
Springfield next to nearby towns
Springfield ranks 62 of 80 Missouri cities here for ice-dam days, behind Maryville at 9.3 days.
- Republic, MO 7 mi, 2.7 days
- Nixa, MO 10 mi, 2.8 days
- Ozark, MO 12 mi, 3.9 days
- Bolivar, MO 29 mi, 2.8 days
- Monett, MO 40 mi, 2.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Springfield, 6.6 miles from Springfield. 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.