Grand Traverse County, MI Roof Snow Load - 42 psf

Grand Traverse County, MI: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

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. A serious structural load. Homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or with low-slope/flat roof sections, are the ones most worth having checked.

Grand Traverse County in numbers

• Design roof snow load42 psf
• Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map60 psf
• National rank#27 of 2,758
• Michigan rank#11 of 70
• Population96,625
• Annual snowfall, NOAA normal101 in.
• FIPS26055

Grand Traverse County by the numbers

Nationally that's #27 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 1%; within Michigan alone, Grand Traverse County ranks #11 of 70. Michigan counties average 31.7 psf; Grand Traverse County runs 10.3 psf higher than that.

Grand Traverse County, FIPS 26055, is home to 96,625 people near 44.7187°N 85.5538°W. Its 60 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 42 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Grand Traverse County's snowfall, most winters

101 in. a year: that's Grand Traverse County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at TRAVERSE CITY MUNSON, MI US (5.3 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Grand Traverse County's number

Treat the Grand Traverse 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. (How this figure is calculated.)