SnowLoadCheck

Alpena County, MI Roof Snow Load - 35 psf

Alpena County, MI: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Heavy
35 psf

Alpena County's roofs are built to hold 35 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 77 inches of fresh, light snow, 28 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 7 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. A serious structural load. Homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or with low-slope/flat roof sections, are the ones most worth having checked.

Alpena County at a glance

Alpena County by the numbers

Nationally that's #148 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 5%; within Michigan alone, Alpena County ranks #22 of 70. 31.7 psf is Michigan's typical county figure - Alpena County beats it by 3.3 psf.

Alpena County, FIPS 26007, is home to 28,903 people near 44.895°N 83.4266°W. Its 50 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 35 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Alpena County's snowfall, most winters

41.3 in. a year: that's Alpena County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at GLENNIE 2SE, MI US (28.3 mi away). 28.3 mi is a real gap between Alpena County and its nearest reporting station, so local snowfall can diverge from this figure, especially near elevation changes. See the density guide.

Before you rely on Alpena County's number

Treat the Alpena County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.

For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. (How this figure is calculated.)