Key takeaways
- Clear the gutters and downspouts completely.
- Find and seal the big attic air leaks.
- Get heat cable installed while the roof is dry.
Eleven things worth doing before the first hard freeze, in the order they matter.
Published September 28, 2026 · Roof Gutter Now LLC
NOAA has a very strong El Nino in the forecast for this winter. Whatever the season delivers, the prep list does not change much. Here it is in priority order.
1. Clean the gutters and downspouts
A gutter packed with leaves freezes into a solid block the first time it fills. Water then runs over the front edge or backs up under the drip edge.
2. Confirm downspouts discharge away from the house
An ice pile at the base of a downspout backs the whole column up.
3. Go into the attic on a cold day
Look for daylight, frost on nails, compressed or displaced insulation, and any bath fan venting into the attic instead of through the roof or wall.
4. Seal the big leaks
Attic hatch, recessed cans, plumbing stacks, wiring penetrations, the top plates of interior walls. Air sealing comes before adding insulation.
5. Check insulation depth
NDSU Extension suggests roughly 15 inches of blown insulation, about R-50, for northern climates.
6. Verify soffit vents are open
Insulation blown against the eave blocks the intake air that keeps the deck cold. Baffles fix it.
7. Skip the powered attic fan
University of Minnesota Extension advises against mechanical attic ventilation as an ice dam fix. It can pull more heated air up through ceiling gaps.
8. Look at the roof edge itself
Loose gutters, rotted fascia and lifted shingles at the eave all get worse under ice load. Fix them before, not after.
9. Install heat cable in the fall
Cable at the roof edge, gutters and downspouts is straightforward work on a dry roof in October and a miserable job on an iced roof in January.
10. Buy a roof rake
For the first few feet of the lower roof, from the ground. Not for climbing.
11. Save an emergency number before you need it
When a thaw hits, every ice dam removal crew in the region books out within a day.
Weather outlooks describe probabilities, not guarantees. Seasonal forecasts from NOAA and other agencies are updated monthly and can change. Nothing here is a prediction of what will happen at any specific address. Heat cable products are supplied by Radiant Solutions Company and installed by Roof Gutter Now LLC.