Gaston County, NC Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
Gaston County, NC: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Gaston County's roofs are built to hold 10 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. 7 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Gaston 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.
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. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.
Gaston County at a glance
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,678 of 2,758
- North Carolina rank#56 of 100
- Population242,010
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal1.2 in.
- FIPS37071
Gaston County by the numbers
Nationally that's #1,678 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 61%; within North Carolina alone, Gaston County ranks #56 of 100. That's 2.9 psf below North Carolina's own county-average design load of 12.9 psf.
Gaston County, FIPS 37071, is home to 242,010 people near 35.2928°N 81.1774°W. Its 10 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 10 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Gaston County's snowfall, most winters
1.2 in. a year: that's Gaston County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at GASTONIA, NC US (2.6 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Gaston County's number
Treat the Gaston 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.