Ice dam risk in Huntington, IN
Will your roof get ice dams in Huntington, IN?
10.5 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Huntington, conditions for an ice dam come on about 10.5 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Huntington averages 26 inches of snow a year and about 35 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 Huntington
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 5.6 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 10.5 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 16.6 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 4.9 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 16.6 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Huntington 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.
Huntington winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.9 | 13.7 | 4.7 |
| February | 6.7 | 10.7 | 3.2 |
| March | 2.8 | 3.0 | 0.6 |
| April | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| December | 5.1 | 6.7 | 1.9 |
Huntington next to nearby towns
Huntington ranks 37 of 88 Indiana cities here for ice-dam days, behind Plymouth at 15.9 days.
- Wabash, IN 18 mi, 12.7 days
- Columbia City, IN 20 mi, 15.4 days
- Bluffton, IN 20 mi, 10.6 days
- Fort Wayne, IN 24 mi, 11.4 days
- Marion, IN 24 mi, 8.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Huntington, 1.8 miles from Huntington. 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.