Ice dam risk in Columbus, NE
Will your roof get ice dams in Columbus, NE?
12.5 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Columbus, conditions for an ice dam come on about 12.5 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Columbus averages 26 inches of snow a year and about 39 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 Columbus
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 6.7 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 12.5 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 19.8 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 5.8 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 19.8 days.
What to do about ice dams in Columbus
- 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.
Columbus winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.6 | 13.5 | 4.9 |
| February | 6.0 | 11.1 | 3.6 |
| March | 3.8 | 3.7 | 0.7 |
| April | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.4 |
| December | 5.6 | 8.4 | 2.8 |
Columbus next to nearby towns
Columbus ranks 7 of 16 Nebraska cities here for ice-dam days, behind South Sioux City at 19.2 days.
- Norfolk, NE 41 mi, 16.1 days
- Fremont, NE 45 mi, 12.8 days
- Lincoln, NE 56 mi, 11.4 days
- Grand Island, NE 63 mi, 11.6 days
- Omaha, NE 69 mi, 12.2 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Columbus 3 NE, 2.4 miles from Columbus. 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.