Columbus County, NC Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
Columbus County, NC: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Columbus County's roofs are built to hold 10 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Columbus County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 10 psf, not the 7 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 22 inches of fresh, light snow, 8 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 2 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 modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.
Columbus County at a glance
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,779 of 2,758
- North Carolina rank#74 of 100
- Population50,054
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal1.2 in.
- FIPS37047
Columbus County by the numbers
Nationally that's #1,779 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 65%; within North Carolina alone, Columbus County ranks #74 of 100. North Carolina counties average 12.9 psf; Columbus County runs 2.9 psf lower than that.
Columbus County, FIPS 37047, is home to 50,054 people near 34.2616°N 78.6393°W. Its 10 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 10 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Columbus County's snowfall, most winters
1.2 in. a year: that's Columbus County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at WHITEVILLE 7 NW, NC US (13.4 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Columbus County's number
Treat the Columbus 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.