Blaine County, NE Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Blaine County
That's Blaine County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. 17.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Blaine County's 20 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 44 in. of fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4 in. if it's turned to ice. This is a meaningful design load - most modern-code homes handle it fine, though an addition, a carport or a flat-roofed section can be a weak spot.
Blaine County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map25 psf
- National rank#1,303 of 2,758
- Nebraska rank#89 of 93
- Population454
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal44.6 in.
- FIPS31009
Where Blaine County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Blaine County sits at #1,303, the top 47% nationally - #89 of 93 within Nebraska. Nebraska counties average 20.2 psf; Blaine County runs 0.2 psf lower than that.
Near 41.9319°N 99.9964°W, FIPS 31009: Blaine County counts 454 residents and a 25 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Blaine County
Most winters bring Blaine County roughly 44.6 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at ELSMERE 9 ENE, NE US, 16.6 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Blaine County's number above is ASCE 7-22's default case, not a custom calculation: ordinary residential occupancy, heated, sited on ground that's neither fully sheltered nor fully exposed. Any one of those changing - pitch, exposure, heating, occupancy - moves the real figure.
Nothing here substitutes for an address-level number. Get one free, in about a minute, from the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool using your own coordinates rather than Blaine County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)