Ice dam risk in Sterling Heights, MI
How often ice dams form in Sterling Heights
13.6 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Sterling Heights, conditions for an ice dam come on about 13.6 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Sterling Heights averages 32 inches of snow a year and about 43 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 Sterling Heights
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 6.5 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 13.6 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 22.5 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 7.1 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 22.5 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Sterling Heights 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.
Sterling Heights winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10.6 | 17.9 | 6.3 |
| February | 8.5 | 12.0 | 4.0 |
| March | 5.2 | 5.2 | 1.2 |
| April | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| December | 5.9 | 6.9 | 1.9 |
Sterling Heights next to nearby towns
Sterling Heights ranks 87 of 90 Michigan cities here for ice-dam days, behind Sault Ste. Marie at 48.8 days.
- Fraser, MI 5 mi, 13.6 days
- Troy, MI 6 mi, 19.6 days
- Warren, MI 6 mi, 15.5 days
- Madison Heights, MI 6 mi, 19.6 days
- Clawson, MI 7 mi, 19.6 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Mt Clemens Ang Base, 10.9 miles from Sterling Heights. 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.