Effingham County, IL Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Effingham County, IL?
20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Effingham County to carry. Flat and low-pitch roofs in Effingham County are actually governed by ASCE 7's §7.3.4 minimum of 20 psf, not the 14 psf the ground-load formula alone would produce.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 44 in. if it's fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles, or a mere 4 in. if it's ice. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.
Effingham County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map20 psf
- National rank#823 of 2,758
- Illinois rank#38 of 102
- Population34,602
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal14.6 in.
- FIPS17049
How Effingham County compares
20 psf ranks #823 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 30%) - and #38 of 102 in Illinois. Illinois counties average 19.3 psf; Effingham County runs 0.7 psf higher than that.
Population 34,602 (FIPS 17049), roughly 39.0479°N 88.5928°W. The 20 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Effingham County, IL
NOAA's 30-year normal for Effingham County: 14.6 in. of snow a year, from the EFFINGHAM 3SW, IL US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Effingham 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.
Effingham 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. (How this figure is calculated.)