Would you call this the DEAD of winter?  When I was a kid 70 or so years ago when winters were colder, I think mid-February signaled the Dead part.

We haven’t seen 25 to 30 below zero temperatures here in the Twin Cities for a long time with one exception about 15 years ago.

Snow came this year that weekend of November 13.  We have not had a major or even a minor snow melt since.  Yet it has snowed frequently since then keeping everything white and beautiful where I live near Hopkins.  It has been the cleanest winter that I can remember for it has snowed often enough to keep everything white continuously since that November 13 disaster.

Disaster means in my grounds that the wet snow then was so heavy I had more tree damage in that storm than all of the years I have lived here put together.

Disaster of another kind comes to mind.  Ice dams .  We, at Masterpiece do offer Ice Dam clean up service.  Lucky for me.  For parts of my roof needed ice removal.  Our guys have a sprayer which ‘slices’ the ice up for removal.

There is a flat spot over the ceiling of my second floor bathroom right above the bathtub.   The last time we had ice dam buildup there which cause some problems was about 30 years ago.

It was worse this years.   Why?

We had the two feet of snow, very wet snow, mid November and probably 40 inches since without any snow melt.   Snow piles along my front grounds are over 6 feet high.   I don’t think there is a spot on my grounds with less than knee high snow.   I walk out my front door along the path to the drive way and the snow is up to my hips.

WARNING:  You may want to think about checking out your roof to see, not “if”, but where you will have damaging ice dams which will cause serious roof-ceiling leaking.   My major damage luckily came through the bathroom ceiling and dripped down into the bathtub before the guys at Masterpiece melted the ice on the roor.

Usually, if the winter has been especially snowy, the damage begins to start when the under snow and ice begin to melt by about the first of March.  But we have had so much snow and no thaws, the build up of ice has been enormous.  

Some homeowners have wisely shoveled or pulled snow off of the roof following the eaves.   That won’t help, however, where dams have already been hardened with ice.

Be sure to look for ice dam troubles on your roof.  The damage to your interior and the mold and mildew problems which may occur from water leakage can be costly to repair.   Stay ahead of the troubles by giving us a call at 612-919-5302 for and estimate and service.

One encouraging note…..some of the weeping willows branchings are beginning to change to their golden-green spring color.   Two of my Sunkist arborvitaes are already showing a touch of yellow coming out already…..just   a touch, but it is noticeable.   In two weeks it will be distinct.

Happy springtime  is coming soon.