Icicle lights hanging from your house: Pretty.

Actual icicles hanging from your house: A sign of potential trouble.

Conditions were ripe this week for the creation of ice dams on houses.

According to the National Weather Service, ice dams occur when snow buildup melts during the warmer daylight hours, rolls down a roof slope and refreezes when it hits colder air.

If your gutters are blocked or you have a poorly insulated area at the edge of the roof, an ice dam can form when the water refreezes. The dam could result in water forcing its way up under the roof shingles and potentially leaking into your home.

Overflowing snow melt can also form icicles, which can be dangerous. Big ones have been known to pull gutters right off a house.

Why dams form

Of course, you should have cleaned

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