Ice storms and Ozark roofs: what 2009 did, and how to be ready
Every few winters the Ozarks get an ice storm. January 2009 put nearly two inches on Fayetteville and taught the city what ice does to trees, power lines and roofs. Most of the damage was preventable.
What happened in January 2009
On January 26, 2009, freezing rain fell on Fayetteville for the better part of a day and built up nearly two inches of ice, followed two days later by a couple of inches of snow. Across the region more than 100,000 people lost power, some for more than two weeks; the University of Arkansas had to cut its campus out of the ice; and when the cleanup was done, contractors had removed more than 3,000 trees inside the city and pruned more than 20,000 more that had been broken into hazards. The regional damage came to about $80 million. It remains the benchmark storm for Northwest Arkansas, and it will happen again — the plateau's elevation and its position on the edge of the winter storm track guarantee it.
What ice does to a roof
Load
An inch of ice weighs about five pounds per square foot; two inches on a 30-square roof is 30,000 pounds. Sound roofs carry it. Roofs with rotten decking, undersized rafters on old porches and carports, and flat-roof additions with ponding do not.
Trees
This is where 2009's damage actually came from. Fayetteville's oaks, hickories and especially its Bradford pears and silver maples loaded up with ice and dropped limbs — and whole crowns — onto roofs across the city. Three thousand trees came down inside the city limits. A limb through the decking is a hole in the roof in freezing weather, which is the emergency call we dread most.
Ice dams
The quiet damage. Heat escaping into an under-vented attic melts the underside of the ice and snow on the roof; the meltwater runs to the eave, which is below freezing, and refreezes into a dam. Water pools behind the dam and is pushed backwards up under the shingles — where, on a roof without ice-and-water barrier, it comes straight through into the wall, the soffit and the ceiling. North-facing eaves under bare oaks, houses with no soffit intake, and gutters overflowing with fall leaves get it worst. Most Fayetteville roofs built before the mid-2000s have no ice barrier at all.
Which roofs fail in ice
- Roofs under Bradford pears, silver maples and big overhanging oak limbs — the trees that break.
- Roofs with unvented or poorly vented attics — the ice-dam machines.
- Roofs without ice-and-water barrier at the eaves and valleys.
- Old porch and carport roofs on undersized framing.
- Low-slope additions and flat commercial roofs with ponding.
- Gutters packed with leaves, which freeze into a solid bar at the eave.
What actually helps
Ventilate the attic
Continuous soffit intake with baffles, continuous ridge exhaust, and no bathroom fans dumping into the attic. A cold attic in January means no melting from below, which means no ice dam. It's also what keeps the same attic from cooking the shingles in July. See attic ventilation and ice dams.
Ice-and-water barrier
A self-adhering membrane under the shingles at every eave, valley and penetration. When a dam forms anyway, the water stays on top of the membrane and drains instead of coming through. We put it on every roof we replace, code or no code.
Insulate the attic floor
Heat that doesn't reach the attic can't melt the roof. Air-seal the ceiling penetrations and bring insulation to current levels.
Clean the gutters in November
Or install guards that actually shed oak leaves. A full gutter is where the dam starts.
Deal with the trees before the storm
Reduce or remove the limbs over the roof, and take out the Bradford pears. A tree company, not a roofer — but we'll tell you which limbs worry us.
During and after
Don't get on an icy roof, and don't let anyone chip at an ice dam with a hammer — it takes the shingles with it. If water is coming in, call us: we can steam a dam off without damaging the roof, tarp a limb strike, and photograph everything for the claim. Ice damage to the roof and to the interior is covered by standard Arkansas policies as a sudden event; tree removal from the roof usually is too.
Common questions
How often do ice storms hit Fayetteville?
A significant one every few winters, a historic one every decade or two. The plateau's 1,378-foot elevation and its position on the edge of the winter storm track make it more ice-prone than the river valley to the south.
Do I need ice barrier in Arkansas?
Code leaves it to local history of ice at the eaves, and Fayetteville has that history. We install it on every roof we replace. On an existing roof it can be added at the eaves by lifting the first courses.
Can you remove an ice dam without damaging the roof?
Yes, with steam. Never hammers, shovels or salt — they break shingles and corrode metal. Heat cables at the eave can prevent recurring dams while the real fix (ventilation and insulation) is scheduled.
Does insurance cover ice-dam damage?
The sudden interior damage from an ice dam is generally covered under standard Arkansas policies; the ventilation and insulation work that prevents the next one is maintenance and isn't. Tree-on-roof damage is covered.
Is a metal roof better in ice?
Yes — ice slides off standing seam instead of building up, and the roof doesn't absorb water. It needs snow guards over doors and walkways so a sheet of ice doesn't land on someone.
Related: Attic ventilation & ice dams · Emergency roof repair · Gutters & leaf guards · Metal roofing