Chase County, NE Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
Chase County, NE: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Chase County's roofs are built to hold 20 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 20 psf - higher than the 17.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 44 inches of fresh, light snow, 16 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 4 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.
Chase County in numbers
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map25 psf
- National rank#1,238 of 2,758
- Nebraska rank#64 of 93
- Population3,764
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal23.7 in.
- FIPS31029
Chase County by the numbers
Nationally that's #1,238 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 45%; within Nebraska alone, Chase County ranks #64 of 93. That's 0.2 psf below Nebraska's own county-average design load of 20.2 psf.
Chase County, FIPS 31029, is home to 3,764 people near 40.5304°N 101.6942°W. Its 25 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 20 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Chase County's snowfall, most winters
23.7 in. a year: that's Chase County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at WAUNETA, NE US (19.3 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Chase County's number
Treat the Chase 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. (How this figure is calculated.)