Ice dam risk in Coshocton, OH
How often ice dams form in Coshocton
5.4 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Coshocton, conditions for an ice dam come on about 5.4 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Coshocton averages 15 inches of snow a year and about 19 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 Coshocton
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 3.1 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 5.4 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 8.3 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 2.3 days a winter here. It drops the risk from moderate to low.
Preventing ice dams on a Coshocton 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.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Coshocton winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.6 | 9.6 | 2.9 |
| February | 3.1 | 5.3 | 1.4 |
| March | 2.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| April | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| December | 3.0 | 3.1 | 0.8 |
Coshocton next to nearby towns
Coshocton ranks 167 of 176 Ohio cities here for ice-dam days, behind Euclid at 24.8 days.
- Cambridge, OH 22 mi, 6.5 days
- Zanesville, OH 23 mi, 8.0 days
- New Philadelphia, OH 26 mi, 8.5 days
- Dover, OH 27 mi, 8.5 days
- Newark, OH 33 mi, 6.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Coshocton Wpc Plt, 1.9 miles from Coshocton. 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.