Ice dam risk in Taylorville, IL
How often ice dams form in Taylorville
6.3 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Taylorville, conditions for an ice dam come on about 6.3 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Taylorville averages 16 inches of snow a year and about 22 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 Taylorville
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 3.5 | Low |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 6.3 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 9.8 | Moderate |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 2.8 days a winter here. It drops the risk from moderate to low. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 9.8 days.
What to do about ice dams in Taylorville
- 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.
Taylorville winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.9 | 10.1 | 3.3 |
| February | 3.9 | 5.3 | 1.5 |
| March | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.2 |
| October | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| December | 3.2 | 4.1 | 1.2 |
Taylorville next to nearby towns
Taylorville ranks 200 of 225 Illinois cities here for ice-dam days, behind Arlington Heights at 21.5 days.
- Chatham, IL 22 mi, 7.1 days
- Springfield, IL 24 mi, 7.1 days
- Decatur, IL 28 mi, 6.9 days
- Lincoln, IL 41 mi, 7.4 days
- Jacksonville, IL 50 mi, 6.3 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Morrisonville, 13.0 miles from Taylorville. 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.