Snow Load and Ice Dam Roof Damage Repair in Kenosha, WI

The Finding in the Drift and at the Drain

Snow damage shows up in three places. At drains, where ice blocks the outlet and water backs up. Along parapets and beside rooftop units, where drifts pile deep and hold meltwater against flashing. In the field, where heavy snow or ice presses on weak decks and compresses insulation.

Each location produces a different mark. Blocked drains leave rings and stains. Drifts leave staining and cracked sealant at the base of walls. Heavy load leaves shallow dips and, in the worst cases, deflected deck. We photograph each with a scale and mark it on the plan.

Ice dams, which form where melting snow refreezes at a cold edge, are logged by location and thickness. They push water back under laps and flashing, and the leaks they cause often appear far from the edge.

Cracked sealant at the base of a wall where a drift sat all winter is a classic flashing failure, and an open lap near a frozen drain is a seam failure waiting to show itself. The log cross-references both so one spring visit can close the pair.

What 36 Inches of Snow Puts on a Roof

Snowfall in Kenosha comes to about 36.2 inches a year, and January, at 11.3 inches, and February, at 9.8, are the snowiest months. About 19 inches fell in the January 1979 blizzard, and the 2011 Groundhog Day storm left roughly 23.2 inches. A roof that carries a normal winter can still meet a storm that adds a foot or two at once.

Neighbors see the same weather. Racine averages about 41 inches a year, and Union Grove, in western Racine County, about 40.5. The record low in Kenosha is minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit, set in January 1985, and cold like that holds ice on a roof for weeks. We note the dates and depths in the log so each winter has its own page.

How the Winter Log Is Kept

The winter log has three entries per roof: a pre-season walk, a post-storm entry after any major snow, and a spring walk. Each records drift depth where it can be measured, ice at drains, the condition of snow guards and visible deflection.

Where meltwater may have entered, a moisture survey maps wet insulation in spring and a core cut confirms it. Water that froze inside the roof does its worst damage when it thaws, and the spring survey catches it.

The same table carries a column for snow removal. Any removal done by staff or a contractor is noted with the date and method, since shovels, blowers and ice tools are common causes of membrane cuts.

Photographs are taken from the same positions each season. Standing at the same corner and framing the same drain in October, January and April lets anyone flip through three images and see what the winter did.

Inspection Scope Before and After the Storm

The pre-season walk covers drains, scuppers, snow guards, parapet caps and the sealant at every curb. The post-storm entry covers what the storm changed: drift depth, ice at drains and any visible sag. The spring walk covers everything again and compares it to October.

Safety shapes the scope. A roof under deep snow or ice is not walked until access is judged safe, and drone imagery fills the gap when it is not. The log notes which method captured each finding, so a photograph taken from the air is never mistaken for one taken at the surface.

Spring Repairs After Snow and Ice

Repairs follow the log. Drains and scuppers are cleared and tested, and any drain bowl cracked by ice is replaced. A drain and scupper repair scope lists the outlet size, the bowl and the clamping ring. Cracked membrane at drifts is patched, and flashing that pulled away is re-sealed or replaced.

Compressed insulation is cut out and replaced. Deflected deck goes to an engineer before any repair, and the log keeps the engineer's note. Where ice dams recur at the same edge, the scope looks at insulation, ventilation and edge detail, and compares a local fix with a larger change.

On metal roofs, snow slides and ice damage clips, seams and gutters. A standing seam metal roof gets a seam and clip check after every major slide.

Gutters, where a building has them, get an ice check as well. A full gutter pulls away from the fascia under the weight of ice, and the scope replaces brackets as well as the run.

What the Winter Record Means for the Budget

A winter record helps an owner tell which roofs came through unchanged and which lost ground. Roofs that show new cracks or stains each spring move up the watch list. Roofs with new deflection or wet insulation move toward the capital request.

Snow removal is a cost too. The log shows how often a roof needed clearing, so an owner can compare the cost of repeated removal with the cost of added slope or snow guards. The ponding water record shares the same table.

Cost ranges for winter repairs are listed by item: drains, flashing re-seals, insulation replacement, deck work. Owners can add up only the items that apply to their roof.

Close-Out Package After Winter Repair

When spring repairs finish, the file closes with before and after photographs, product sheets and a note of what changed at each drain and edge. The pre-season walk the next fall repeats the photographs from the same positions, so the winter's effect is easy to see.

Open items are listed with dates and owners. A drain bowl ordered but not yet installed is a line on the list until the date it goes in.