It’s a common winter occurrence in many parts of the north: the notorious roof ice dam. As the past few weeks snow piled up and temperatures fluctuated, ice dams have grown and grown on many local roofs. Some houses have stretches of icicles that nearly run from the roof to the high snow banks beneath the eaves.

But homeowners shouldn’t panic just yet. Thursday through Saturday temperatures are forecast to hover in the mid to high 40s, which may go a long way in melting some of the icy buildup. Let nature do the heavy work for you.

The recent snow and freeze and thaw conditions have been the perfect weather condition to create roof dams, which are almost impossible to prevent. It all comes down to interior attic conditions. Heat collects in the attic, especially in houses that have minimal insulation. The roof warms up, melting snow, while the eaves usually remain colder. That melting snow turns icy and often refreezes at the roof’s edge. The result is an ice dam.

A simple, fast fix is to carefully rake or pull off snow from the roof edges along the gutter line. Don’t attempt to chisel or hammer loose an ice dam. You’ll be looking for new gutters come springtime. If ice dams build up too thick, the pools created behind them can back up and leak into the structure’s interior.

The basic rule of thumb when considering any home maintenance procedure is don’t risk life or limb. The spring is the time to consider additional insulation or roof and gutter repair.

For now, let the next few days weather warm things up for you.