The snow, cold temperatures and now the warmup create serious risks from ice dams.
Homeowners, look up. After the one-two punch of a nor'easter and frigid temperatures, your gutters might need some attention.
"The gutters are gonna be frozen. They've been encased in snow and ice for weeks," said Parker Willard of Willard Roofing. "That snow and ice won't melt quickly so you're in a situation where it starts to dam up."
Willard says if you're initially seeing icicles on the gutters, that's OK.
"It's when you start seeing icicles forming behind the gutters and possible on the sidewall, that's when you have concern. What's happening now is water is penetrating the actual roof surface, it's just not sowing up inside yet," said Willard.
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Homeowner Drew Boecher knows all too well the damage ice dams can cause.
"It appeared to be raining inside the house. I guess that's how I describe it," said Boecher.
The water poured into a second-floor room during the winter of 2015. He says he now regularly cleans his gutters and monitors the snow on the roof.
"Added task. Shoveling is not fun, then you have to shovel the roof," said Boecher.
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Willard says being proactive, having that roof rake on hand is crucial in winter months and if the snow is stacked up and it's high for you to safely get up, consider hiring someone who can.
"We've had some ice dams, not too many a half dozen to a dozen or so far. With the warming we could see that change pretty quickly," said Willard.
The fierce winds that came with last week's nor'easter may have spared many homeowners because it took a lot of snow right off the roof, but if it's there now, waiting for it all to melt could lead to problems.
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