Ice dam risk in Celina, OH
Ice dams in Celina, OH: how often
5.7 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Celina, conditions for an ice dam come on about 5.7 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Celina averages 29 inches of snow a year and about 20 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 Celina
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 2.9 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 5.7 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 9.3 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 2.8 days a winter here. It drops the risk from moderate to low. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 9.3 days.
What to do about ice dams in Celina
- 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.
Celina winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10.8 | 7.0 | 2.4 |
| February | 7.1 | 6.9 | 2.0 |
| March | 4.1 | 1.7 | 0.3 |
| April | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| December | 4.9 | 3.5 | 1.0 |
Celina next to nearby towns
Celina ranks 165 of 176 Ohio cities here for ice-dam days, behind Euclid at 24.8 days.
- Van Wert, OH 21 mi, 6.0 days
- Lima, OH 27 mi, 6.7 days
- Decatur, IN 27 mi, 11.4 days
- Sidney, OH 28 mi, 7.8 days
- Greenville, OH 31 mi, 7.4 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Celina 3 NE, 1.6 miles from Celina. 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.
- Snow-on-the-ground counts come from a second, nearby station, because the closest one does not record them.