The warmer weather outside and higher temperatures inside are helping repair crews working on the Metrodome’s deflated roof. But it’s still not clear how big the repair job will be or when it can be completed.

While engineers early Wednesday avoided walking under damaged roof panels that still were holding ice and snow, temperatures in the 30s were aiding the snowmelt and making repair work more viable.

Some parts of the Metrodome’s field were still roped off Wednesday, but as snow continues to melt and drain onto the field, workers “will be able to walk anywhere,” Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, said at a commission meeting Wednesday.

Commissioners received a brief update on the pace of Dome repairs Wednesday morning, but it remains uncertain how quickly the roof can be patched and re-inflated.

Engineers are still evaluating the roof’s condition, and workers’ safety continues to be the top priority, Lester said.

The Dome hosts 200 to 300 events per year, and it’s unknown when the facility will be back in service.

Three panels of the Dome’s Teflon-coated Fiberglas roof collapsed under snow on Dec. 12. A fourth panel failed Dec. 15. Replacement panels are being manufactured at a plant in Mexico.

Four engineering and consulting firms are working for the commission to evaluate the situation and plan roof repairs. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration toured the Dome on Wednesday and had no suggestions for further precautions for workers, Lester said.

On Monday, engineers used a shotgun to blow a hole in a roof panel that was under pressure from a heavy load of ice and snow. The shooter was stationed on a sideline of the north end zone and aimed at a roof panel near the center of the Dome’s roof, which now droops down into the bowl. No more shotgun blasts are planned to relieve pressure on Metrodome roof panels.

Several other panels remain “at risk,” Lester said, though the melting process is going more smoothly now.

The snow load wasn’t the sole cause of the recent collapse, Lester said. The “perfect storm” earlier this month — packing heavy snow, high winds and cold temperatures — combined to bring down the roof, he said.

He noted that the Dome held up fine during the 1991 Halloween snowstorm, which delivered 28 inches of snow, compared to the 17 inches that fell Dec. 10-11 in the Twin Cities.

John Welbes can be reached at 651-228-2175.