Ice dam risk in Stow, OH
Ice dams in Stow, OH: how often
14.9 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Stow, conditions for an ice dam come on about 14.9 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Stow averages 45 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 Stow
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 8.1 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 14.9 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 23.3 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 6.8 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 23.3 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Stow 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.
Stow winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.4 | 17.4 | 5.8 |
| February | 11.0 | 14.4 | 4.7 |
| March | 7.3 | 6.5 | 1.5 |
| April | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| November | 2.1 | 2.3 | 0.3 |
| December | 9.3 | 11.0 | 2.6 |
Stow next to nearby towns
Stow ranks 22 of 176 Ohio cities here for ice-dam days, behind Euclid at 24.8 days.
- Kent, OH 4 mi, 14.9 days
- Hudson, OH 4 mi, 14.9 days
- Tallmadge, OH 5 mi, 14.9 days
- Cuyahoga Falls, OH 6 mi, 14.9 days
- Streetsboro, OH 6 mi, 14.9 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Ravenna 2 S, 8.4 miles from Stow. 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.