Ice dam risk in Wooster, OH
How often ice dams form in Wooster
13.5 dam days a winter
Moderate risk. On an ordinary house in Wooster, conditions for an ice dam come on about 13.5 days in a normal winter, mostly in January and February.
Wooster averages 29 inches of snow a year and about 47 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 Wooster
| Attic | Dam days | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Air-sealed and well insulated | 7.1 | Moderate |
| Typical, some insulation, not air-sealed | 13.5 | Moderate |
| Older or poorly insulated, warm attic | 21.4 | High |
Sealing and insulating a typical attic takes out about 6.3 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 21.4 days.
Preventing ice dams on a Wooster 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.
Wooster winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.4 | 16.4 | 5.5 |
| February | 7.0 | 13.5 | 4.1 |
| March | 4.9 | 5.6 | 1.1 |
| April | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| November | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.2 |
| December | 5.4 | 9.3 | 2.6 |
Wooster next to nearby towns
Wooster ranks 63 of 176 Ohio cities here for ice-dam days, behind Euclid at 24.8 days.
- Wadsworth, OH 18 mi, 14.3 days
- Ashland, OH 20 mi, 13.8 days
- New Franklin, OH 20 mi, 12.9 days
- Norton, OH 21 mi, 12.9 days
- Massillon, OH 21 mi, 12.9 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Wooster Exp Station, 2.7 miles from Wooster. 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.