Elmore County, AL Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
Elmore County, AL: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Elmore County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. The physics-based figure alone would be 3.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 5 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
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. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Elmore County in numbers
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,148 of 2,758
- Alabama rank#26 of 67
- Population91,042
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.3 in.
- FIPS01051
Elmore County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,148 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 78%; within Alabama alone, Elmore County ranks #26 of 67. 5.6 psf is Alabama's typical county figure - Elmore County comes in 0.6 psf under it.
Elmore County, FIPS 01051, is home to 91,042 people near 32.5972°N 86.1427°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Elmore County's snowfall, most winters
0.3 in. a year: that's Elmore County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at WETUMPKA, AL US (1.4 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Elmore County's number
Treat the Elmore 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.