Ice dam risk in Dover, OH
Ice dams in Dover, OH: how often
8.5 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Dover, conditions for an ice dam come on about 8.5 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Dover averages 20 inches of snow a year and about 29 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 Dover
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 4.9 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 8.5 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 13.1 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 3.7 days a winter here. It drops the risk from moderate to low. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 13.1 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Dover 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.
Dover winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.3 | 11.3 | 3.7 |
| February | 4.8 | 9.2 | 2.8 |
| March | 2.9 | 3.0 | 0.6 |
| April | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| December | 4.2 | 5.1 | 1.4 |
Dover next to nearby towns
Dover ranks 103 of 176 Ohio cities here for ice-dam days, behind Euclid at 24.8 days.
- New Philadelphia, OH 4 mi, 8.5 days
- Massillon, OH 18 mi, 12.9 days
- Canton, OH 20 mi, 12.9 days
- North Canton, OH 24 mi, 12.9 days
- Coshocton, OH 27 mi, 5.4 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Millersburg, 23.0 miles from Dover. 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.