Chicago-area residents battle ice dams, icicles as winter gets fast and early start

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (WLS) -- Icicles are a pretty sight, an example of nature helping to decorate our homes. But their presence can also be a sign of larger problems.

"We have had easy winters. Now we're having a bad one, and I don't know what to do. I keep knocking them down every day, and they keep coming back," said Arlington Heights homeowner Deb Lang.

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Lang, like many in the Chicago area, is dealing with the impacts of a fast start to winter. She says she has brushed back the snow from the gutter line, but there is still more ice.

"I don't know how to correct it. They say it's something about the attic," Lang said.

Winter is already presenting problems, and it is still early December. O'Hare has recorded more than 17 inches of snow this season.

"Certainly, in the last three decades or so, I don't think we've seen a winter like in such early, intense snow," said UIC Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Max Berkelhammer. "You have to step back and look at the long-term trends and say, 'Yeah, you're going to get cold fronts. You're going to get cold winters,' even as we experience kind of long-term warming trends."

At Peterson Roofing, the phone lines have been busy on Monday morning.

"After the last two snows, we've gotten inundated with a ton of calls. Most of it is ice damming or icicle issues," said Peterson Roofing Inc. Vice President Jim Peterson Jr.

However, Peterson says, just because you have icicles does not necessarily mean you have a problem.

"If you just have a small icicle or two, nothing to be concerned about. But if you have walls of ice or real large icicles hanging all around the house, you have something going on that needs to be addressed," Peterson said.

Peterson says the main culprits are a lack of intake ventilation for the attic and/or a lack of attic insulation. He recommends, if you are not getting water in the house, simply let the snow and ice melt and then get a roof and attic inspection.

In the meantime, many homeowners are doing the best they can to battle the elements.

"A lot of problems with the gutters; everything is frozen," said homeowner Adrian Marinescu. "Right now, I have a small leak in the basement. I just came out trying to fix it. I'm not a professional, but I'm just trying to help a little bit."

Peterson said he expects the calls to really increase in the next couple of days, as the problems are likely to get worse with temperatures above freezing mixed in with rain before a hard re-freeze at the end of the week