Caldwell County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Caldwell County
That's Caldwell County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. 10.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Caldwell County's 15 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 33 in. of fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 3 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.
Caldwell County in numbers
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,529 of 2,758
- Kentucky rank#93 of 120
- Population12,611
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal8.5 in.
- FIPS21033
Where Caldwell County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Caldwell County sits at #1,529, the top 55% nationally - #93 of 120 within Kentucky. 15.7 psf is Kentucky's typical county figure - Caldwell County comes in 0.7 psf under it.
Near 37.1486°N 87.8705°W, FIPS 21033: Caldwell County counts 12,611 residents and a 15 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 15 psf.
How much it actually snows in Caldwell County
Most winters bring Caldwell County roughly 8.5 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at PRINCETON 1 SE, KY US, 1.7 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Caldwell 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 Caldwell County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)