SnowLoadCheck

Carter County, MO Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

Carter County, MO: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Moderate
15 psf

Carter County's roofs are built to hold 15 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 15 psf - higher than the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 33 inches of fresh, light snow, 12 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 3 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 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.

Carter County, MO: quick facts

Carter County by the numbers

Nationally that's #1,603 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 58%; within Missouri alone, Carter County ranks #113 of 115. 18.6 psf is Missouri's typical county figure - Carter County comes in 3.6 psf under it.

Carter County, FIPS 29035, is home to 5,359 people near 36.9449°N 90.9457°W. Its 15 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 15 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Carter County's snowfall, most winters

8.9 in. a year: that's Carter County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at WILLIAMSVILLE, MO US (21.4 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Carter County's number

Treat the Carter 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. Details: the calculation guide.