Buffalo County, NE Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Buffalo County, NE?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Buffalo County to carry. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 20 psf - higher than the 17.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 44 in. if it's fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles, or a mere 4 in. if it's ice. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.
Buffalo County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map25 psf
- National rank#734 of 2,758
- Nebraska rank#18 of 93
- Population51,156
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal24.4 in.
- FIPS31019
How Buffalo County compares
20 psf ranks #734 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 27%) - and #18 of 93 in Nebraska. Nebraska counties average 20.2 psf; Buffalo County runs 0.2 psf lower than that.
Population 51,156 (FIPS 31019), roughly 40.8553°N 99.075°W. The 25 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Buffalo County, NE
NOAA's 30-year normal for Buffalo County: 24.4 in. of snow a year, from the RAVENNA, NE US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Buffalo County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
Buffalo County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. (How this figure is calculated.)