Buffalo County, SD Roof Snow Load - 28 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Buffalo County
That's Buffalo County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 61.6 in. of fresh powder, 22.4 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 5.6 in. if it's turned to ice. Modern-code homes carry a load like this without issue; an older addition, a carport, or any flat-roofed section is where it is worth checking first.
Already snow on the roof in Buffalo County?
Buffalo County in numbers
- Design roof snow load28 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map40 psf
- National rank#299 of 2,758
- South Dakota rank#42 of 65
- Population1,825
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal40.9 in.
- FIPS46017
Where Buffalo County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Buffalo County sits at #299, the top 11% nationally - #42 of 65 within South Dakota. South Dakota counties average 28.2 psf; Buffalo County runs 0.2 psf lower than that.
Near 44.0443°N 99.204°W, FIPS 46017: Buffalo County counts 1,825 residents and a 40 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 28 psf.
How much it actually snows in Buffalo County
Most winters bring Buffalo County roughly 40.9 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at GANN VALLEY 3 NNE, SD US, 11.7 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Buffalo 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 Buffalo County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.