Ice dam risk in Fairfield, OH
Will your roof get ice dams in Fairfield, OH?
6.8 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Fairfield, conditions for an ice dam come on about 6.8 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Fairfield averages 16 inches of snow a year and about 27 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 Fairfield
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 4.1 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 6.8 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 10.1 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 2.7 days a winter here. It drops the risk from moderate to low. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 10.1 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Fairfield 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.
Fairfield winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.0 | 9.7 | 2.8 |
| February | 4.3 | 8.8 | 2.2 |
| March | 2.4 | 2.3 | 0.3 |
| April | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| December | 2.6 | 6.0 | 1.4 |
Fairfield next to nearby towns
Fairfield ranks 123 of 176 Ohio cities here for ice-dam days, behind Euclid at 24.8 days.
- Forest Park, OH 3 mi, 6.8 days
- Hamilton, OH 5 mi, 6.8 days
- Springdale, OH 5 mi, 6.8 days
- Sharonville, OH 8 mi, 6.8 days
- Reading, OH 9 mi, 6.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Cheviot, 12.9 miles from Fairfield. 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.