SnowLoadCheck

Clarke County, AL Roof Snow Load - 5 psf

Clarke County, AL: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Light
5 psf

Clarke County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 5 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 3.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 11 inches of fresh, light snow, 4 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 1 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. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.

Clarke County in numbers

Clarke County by the numbers

Nationally that's #2,276 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 83%; within Alabama alone, Clarke County ranks #39 of 67. 5.6 psf is Alabama's typical county figure - Clarke County comes in 0.6 psf under it.

Clarke County, FIPS 01025, is home to 22,142 people near 31.6855°N 87.8186°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Clarke County's snowfall, most winters

0.4 in. a year: that's Clarke County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at WHATLEY, AL US (6.8 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Clarke County's number

Treat the Clarke 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. See the methodology guide.