It was one of those jump start kind of days thanks to a blast of frigid air that dropped temperatures well below zero and put some car batteries into hibernation with a groan.
 
"You need to have a good battery with this kind of weather," said Erik Johnson of Johnson Towing.
 
The off-and-on cold snap, coupled with last week's winter snowstorm, has also left many north country homes vulnerable to the dangers of ice and snow buildup.

The thawing and refreezing of melting snow on roofs has created the formation of ice dams - leaving thick ridges of ice along the roof's edge.

While Mother Nature's icy art work may be pretty to look at it, the build-up can cause water to back up, get under shingles and eventually leak into the house, causing costly damages.

Contractor William Locy says using a roof rake to clear snow can pay off in the long run.
 
"A lot of people get up there and hammer them with axes and sledge hammers. You don't want to do that. You want to just get up there and remove the snow as best you can with a roof rake," he said.
 
It has also been a busy time for roofing contractor Jason Schumaker, who says while snow is pushing some roofs to their limit, this is one of the worst years for ice dams he's seen.
 
"It can actually cause moisture in the walls and insulation and eventually it could actually cause mold problems," he said.
 
Meanwhile, there are still a number of fire hydrants in communities around the county that are covered by the remains of the last snowstorm.

"It's extremely important that the public takes a little extra time to help clear the hydrants out," said Canton Fire Chief Bob Crowe.

In Saranac Lake, the temperature plunged to -23 during the overnight hours Thursday.

In Jefferson County, Watertown recorded a low of -4 at 7 a.m.

An hour earlier, Lowville recorded a temperature of - 7.

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