Ice dam risk in Union City, TN
Will your roof get ice dams in Union City, TN?
0.9 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Union City sees 0.9 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Union City averages 6 inches of snow a year and about 5 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.
What your attic does to that number in Union City
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 0.7 | Very unlikely |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 0.9 | Very unlikely |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 1.2 | Low |
The attic matters less in Union City than in colder towns: there are only 0.2 days a winter between a typical attic and a sealed one.
Do you need to do anything in Union City?
- 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.
Union City winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.1 | 2.2 | 0.5 |
| February | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 |
| March | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
Union City next to nearby towns
Union City ranks 7 of 65 Tennessee cities here for ice-dam days, behind Crossville at 2.6 days.
- Martin, TN 13 mi, 0.5 days
- Dyersburg, TN 32 mi, 0.5 days
- Paris, TN 42 mi, 0.6 days
- Murray, KY 42 mi, 0.8 days
- Sikeston, MO 43 mi, 0.3 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Union City, 2.6 miles from Union City. 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.