Berkshire County, MA Roof Snow Load - 35 psf
Berkshire County, MA: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Berkshire 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. This is a serious structural load - older homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or ones with low-slope or flat roof sections, are worth having checked.
Berkshire County, MA: quick facts
- Design roof snow load35 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map50 psf
- National rank#106 of 2,758
- Massachusetts rank#4 of 14
- Population128,726
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal85.3 in.
- FIPS25003
Berkshire County by the numbers
Nationally that's #106 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 4%; within Massachusetts alone, Berkshire County ranks #4 of 14. That's 7.4 psf above Massachusetts's own county-average design load of 27.6 psf.
Berkshire County, FIPS 25003, is home to 128,726 people near 42.3715°N 73.2179°W. Its 50 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 35 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Berkshire County's snowfall, most winters
85.3 in. a year: that's Berkshire County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at ASHFIELD, MA US (21.1 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Berkshire County's number
Treat the Berkshire 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.)