Clay County, AR Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Clay County, AR?
10 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Clay County to carry. 7 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Clay County's 10 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 22 in. if it's fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles, or a mere 2 in. if it's ice. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.
Clay County at a glance
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,957 of 2,758
- Arkansas rank#50 of 75
- Population14,112
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal4.6 in.
- FIPS05021
How Clay County compares
10 psf ranks #1,957 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 71%) - and #50 of 75 in Arkansas. Arkansas counties average 10.1 psf; Clay County runs 0.1 psf lower than that.
Population 14,112 (FIPS 05021), roughly 36.3673°N 90.4187°W. The 10 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 10 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Clay County, AR
NOAA's 30-year normal for Clay County: 4.6 in. of snow a year, from the CORNING, AR US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Clay County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
Clay County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. See the methodology guide.