ST. CLOUD -- It's been an especially cold and snowy winter and that cold has prevented any of our snow pack from melting. With the snow piling up on roofs, experts are encouraging homeowners to be proactive and remove the snow to prevent a roof collapse and also to prevent ice dams from forming.

Shane Zablocki owns Zablocki Roofing in St. Cloud. He says just removing the snow from the eaves won't necessarily prevent ice dams from forming.  He says many homes have various roof lines and drip into low-pitch areas and refreeze.

Zablocki says about 70% of their calls right now are for snow removal, with about 30% dealing with ice dams. He says the longer you wait, the longer the job will take. He also says they expect to get very busy in the coming weeks, so it is a good idea to get a professional scheduled soon.

The average cost to deal with snow removal or ice dams is between $300-$600, but Zablocki cautions it could be higher depending on your home and how bad the problem is.

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