Ice dam risk in Medina, OH
How often ice dams form in Medina
15.9 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Medina, conditions for an ice dam come on about 15.9 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Medina averages 36 inches of snow a year and about 52 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 Medina
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 7.8 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 15.9 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 26.0 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 8.1 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 26.0 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Medina 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.
- At the next reroof, ask for ice-and-water membrane under the shingles from the eave to at least 24 inches inside the wall line. It does not stop a dam; it stops the leak when one forms.
Which to spend on first: air sealing or heat cable.
Medina winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.9 | 17.4 | 6.2 |
| February | 8.2 | 13.5 | 4.6 |
| March | 5.6 | 7.2 | 1.6 |
| April | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| November | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.4 |
| December | 9.9 | 10.1 | 3.0 |
Medina next to nearby towns
Medina ranks 18 of 176 Ohio cities here for ice-dam days, behind Euclid at 24.8 days.
- Brunswick, OH 8 mi, 13.8 days
- Wadsworth, OH 10 mi, 14.3 days
- Strongsville, OH 12 mi, 13.8 days
- Norton, OH 14 mi, 12.9 days
- North Royalton, OH 14 mi, 13.8 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Chippewa Lake, 6.7 miles from Medina. 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.