Douglas County, WI Roof Snow Load - 42 psf
Douglas County, WI: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Douglas County's roofs are built to hold 42 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 92.4 inches of fresh, light snow, 33.6 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 8.4 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 serious structural load - older homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or ones with low-slope or flat roof sections, are worth having checked.
Douglas County in numbers
- Design roof snow load42 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map60 psf
- National rank#33 of 2,758
- Wisconsin rank#2 of 72
- Population44,276
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal59.7 in.
- FIPS55031
Douglas County by the numbers
Nationally that's #33 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 1%; within Wisconsin alone, Douglas County ranks #2 of 72. 30.9 psf is Wisconsin's typical county figure - Douglas County beats it by 11.1 psf.
Douglas County, FIPS 55031, is home to 44,276 people near 46.4632°N 91.8925°W. Its 60 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 42 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Douglas County's snowfall, most winters
59.7 in. a year: that's Douglas County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at GORDON, WI US (15.6 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Douglas County's number
Treat the Douglas 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.