Yes. Typically the bottom of your roof is unheated. When snow accumulates on your roof, it can tend to melt and freeze with the changing temperatures outside. Also, inside your attic, due to hot air rising, air can heat the underside of your roof melting it from within. When this melted snow reaches the unheated bottom of your roof, it can freeze and begin to build up and form ice dams. Once an ice dam has been formed, any more melted snow will hit this dam and instead of flowing down or over it, will actually start to work its way back up the roof. Once it begins going up your roof is when it gets underneath your shingles and leaks into your home. Even brand new roofs are susceptible to this. We have received a few calls during the winter claiming that we installed a ‘leaky’ roof or one that ‘didn’t have that problem before’. When we arrived to these houses they had extensive ice dams and were unaware that they had to keep snow off their roof. Also, winters can vary in Minnesota and it is important to track the weather during the season. 2010-11 was a year that had large snow amounts and many days that rose above freezing, allowing melting and ice dam formation. Previous years had either been snowy and cold or mild and didn’t contribute to ice dam formation. The best thing you can do during snowy winters, is to clear the snow off your roof. Keeping the bottom 4-6 feet clear is important in preventing ice dam formation. Using a roof rake with an extension to reach or having a roof snow removal company come out to clear snow are your best options.