Ice dam risk in Logansport, IN
How often ice dams form in Logansport
10.4 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Logansport, conditions for an ice dam come on about 10.4 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Logansport averages 19 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 Logansport
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 5.5 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 10.4 | 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 Logansport 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.
Logansport winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.1 | 13.8 | 4.7 |
| February | 5.3 | 10.3 | 3.1 |
| March | 2.4 | 2.8 | 0.5 |
| April | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| December | 3.8 | 7.0 | 1.9 |
Logansport next to nearby towns
Logansport ranks 38 of 88 Indiana cities here for ice-dam days, behind Plymouth at 15.9 days.
- Peru, IN 15 mi, 10.2 days
- Kokomo, IN 23 mi, 10.8 days
- Wabash, IN 28 mi, 12.7 days
- Frankfort, IN 34 mi, 7.9 days
- Lafayette, IN 36 mi, 9.9 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Logansport Cicott St, 1.7 miles from Logansport. 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.