Ice dam risk in Sunland Park, NM
How often ice dams form in Sunland Park
0.1 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Sunland Park sees 0.1 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Sunland Park averages 2 inches of snow a year and about 1 day 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 Sunland Park?
- 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.
Sunland Park winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
Sunland Park next to nearby towns
Sunland Park ranks 16 of 19 New Mexico cities here for ice-dam days, behind Gallup at 6.1 days.
- El Paso, TX 10 mi, 0.1 days
- Socorro, TX 24 mi, 0.1 days
- Horizon City, TX 26 mi, 0.1 days
- San Elizario, TX 26 mi, 0.0 days
- Las Cruces, NM 36 mi, 0.1 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Santa Teresa Airport, 6.7 miles from Sunland Park. 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.