Ice dam risk in Warsaw, IN
How often ice dams form in Warsaw
15.8 dam days a winter
High risk. On an ordinary house in Warsaw, conditions for an ice dam come on about 15.8 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Warsaw averages 47 inches of snow a year and about 49 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 Warsaw
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 7.5 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 15.8 | High |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 26.3 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 8.4 days a winter here. It drops the risk from high to moderate. An older house with a warm attic should expect closer to 26.3 days.
What to do about ice dams in Warsaw
- 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.
Warsaw winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.6 | 17.1 | 6.3 |
| February | 14.9 | 15.9 | 5.4 |
| March | 5.1 | 4.5 | 0.9 |
| April | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
| November | 3.7 | 1.8 | 0.3 |
| December | 8.1 | 9.8 | 3.0 |
Warsaw next to nearby towns
Warsaw ranks 4 of 88 Indiana cities here for ice-dam days, behind Plymouth at 15.9 days.
- Columbia City, IN 20 mi, 15.4 days
- Goshen, IN 23 mi, 14.8 days
- Plymouth, IN 25 mi, 15.9 days
- Wabash, IN 31 mi, 12.7 days
- Huntington, IN 31 mi, 10.5 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Northern Indiana Wfo, 11.0 miles from Warsaw. 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.