Updated 2/17/2021 8:28 AM
A seemingly endless stretch of snow and cold will finally let up with a slight warm-up in next week s forecast.
While the Chicago area could enjoy periods of sunshine and above-freezing temperatures, the warming trend is little comfort to Michael Prate or anyone else who has to contend with the threat of another wintry mess: ice dams on roofs.
We could have a potential nightmare situation developing, says Prate, who s been in the roofing business for nearly 50 years.
Ice dams form as snow begins to melt with the escaping heat of the house s attic, runs down the roof and refreezes at the non-heated edges, jamming up gutters. With nowhere to go, the water backs up and could potentially leak into homes.