Ice dam risk in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Ice dams in Wilkes-Barre, PA: how often
14.4 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Wilkes-Barre, conditions for an ice dam come on about 14.4 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Wilkes-Barre averages 45 inches of snow a year and about 52 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 Wilkes-Barre
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 8.0 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 14.4 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 22.3 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 6.4 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 22.3 days.
What to do about ice dams in Wilkes-Barre
- 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.
Wilkes-Barre winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.7 | 16.9 | 5.5 |
| February | 10.9 | 17.1 | 5.0 |
| March | 10.1 | 8.0 | 1.6 |
| April | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| December | 7.7 | 8.2 | 2.1 |
Wilkes-Barre next to nearby towns
Wilkes-Barre ranks 14 of 68 Pennsylvania cities here for ice-dam days, behind St. Marys at 26.9 days.
- Kingston, PA 1 mi, 14.4 days
- Nanticoke, PA 7 mi, 14.4 days
- Scranton, PA 15 mi, 19.4 days
- Dunmore, PA 18 mi, 19.4 days
- Hazleton, PA 21 mi, 17.9 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, 10.0 miles from Wilkes-Barre. 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.
- Snow-on-the-ground counts come from a second, nearby station, because the closest one does not record them.