Ice dam risk in Hobart, IN
How often ice dams form in Hobart
14.0 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Hobart, conditions for an ice dam come on about 14.0 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Hobart averages 40 inches of snow a year and about 46 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 Hobart
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 6.9 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 14.0 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 23.0 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 7.2 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 23.0 days.
What to do about ice dams in Hobart
- 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.
Hobart winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.6 | 17.2 | 6.3 |
| February | 5.5 | 12.9 | 3.7 |
| March | 6.7 | 4.9 | 1.0 |
| April | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| October | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| November | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.2 |
| December | 9.4 | 9.6 | 2.8 |
Hobart next to nearby towns
Hobart ranks 23 of 88 Indiana cities here for ice-dam days, behind Plymouth at 15.9 days.
- Merrillville, IN 4 mi, 11.9 days
- Lake Station, IN 5 mi, 14.1 days
- Gary, IN 6 mi, 14.1 days
- Portage, IN 7 mi, 14.1 days
- Griffith, IN 8 mi, 14.7 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Valparaiso Wtr Wks, 12.3 miles from Hobart. 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.