Ice dam risk in Cambridge, OH
How often ice dams form in Cambridge
6.5 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Cambridge, conditions for an ice dam come on about 6.5 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Cambridge averages 17 inches of snow a year and about 26 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 Cambridge
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 4.0 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 6.5 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 9.5 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 2.4 days a winter here. It drops the risk from moderate to low. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 9.5 days.
What to do about ice dams in Cambridge
- 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.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Cambridge winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.5 | 11.3 | 3.1 |
| February | 5.3 | 7.7 | 1.9 |
| March | 3.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 |
| November | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 3.0 | 4.4 | 1.0 |
Cambridge next to nearby towns
Cambridge ranks 151 of 176 Ohio cities here for ice-dam days, behind Euclid at 24.8 days.
- Coshocton, OH 22 mi, 5.4 days
- Zanesville, OH 23 mi, 8.0 days
- New Philadelphia, OH 33 mi, 8.5 days
- Dover, OH 36 mi, 8.5 days
- Marietta, OH 42 mi, 3.7 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Cambridge, 0.8 miles from Cambridge. 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.