Ice dam risk in Ashland, OH
How often ice dams form in Ashland
13.8 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Ashland, conditions for an ice dam come on about 13.8 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Ashland averages 49 inches of snow a year and about 47 days with snow on the ground. Most of it comes and goes within a few days. The conditions that make a dam need all three at once: snow, cold at the eave and heat above it.
What your attic does to that number in Ashland
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 6.8 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 13.8 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 22.6 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 7.0 days a winter here. It does not move the risk band, but it shortens every dam. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 22.6 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Ashland roof
- Air-seal the attic floor: the gaps around the hatch, light fixtures, plumbing stacks and the top plates of interior walls. This is the fix that removes the cause, and it usually costs less than a season of contractor ice removal.
- Rake the bottom three or four feet of roof after any storm that leaves more than about six inches, from the ground with a roof rake.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Ashland winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.5 | 16.1 | 5.5 |
| February | 12.7 | 13.5 | 4.2 |
| March | 7.6 | 5.5 | 1.1 |
| April | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.2 |
| December | 9.7 | 9.6 | 2.7 |
Ashland next to nearby towns
Ashland ranks 48 of 176 Ohio cities here for ice-dam days, behind Euclid at 24.8 days.
- Mansfield, OH 13 mi, 13.8 days
- Wooster, OH 20 mi, 13.5 days
- Galion, OH 26 mi, 13.8 days
- Medina, OH 30 mi, 15.9 days
- Norwalk, OH 30 mi, 12.6 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, 11.1 miles from Ashland. A dam day is a day with snow on the roof and freezing at the eave while heat or sun melts the snow above it. This describes a normal winter, not this one.