Ice dam risk in Sumter, SC
Ice dams in Sumter, SC: how often
0.0 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Sumter sees 0.0 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Sumter 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 Sumter?
- 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.
Sumter winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
Sumter next to nearby towns
Sumter ranks 22 of 42 South Carolina cities here for ice-dam days, behind Greenville at 0.3 days.
- Columbia, SC 30 mi, 0.0 days
- Forest Acres, SC 34 mi, 0.0 days
- Cayce, SC 37 mi, 0.0 days
- Florence, SC 38 mi, 0.0 days
- West Columbia, SC 40 mi, 0.1 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Sumter, 2.8 miles from Sumter. 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.