Ice dam risk in Tupelo, MS
How often ice dams form in Tupelo
0.1 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Tupelo sees 0.1 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Tupelo averages 1 inch 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 Tupelo?
- 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.
Tupelo winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| February | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Tupelo next to nearby towns
Tupelo ranks 5 of 41 Mississippi cities here for ice-dam days, behind Southaven at 0.2 days.
- Oxford, MS 46 mi, 0.1 days
- Corinth, MS 48 mi, 0.1 days
- Columbus, MS 56 mi, 0.0 days
- Starkville, MS 56 mi, 0.0 days
- Russellville, AL 60 mi, 0.0 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Tupelo 2, 1.9 miles from Tupelo. 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.