Hampshire County, MA Roof Snow Load - 28 psf
Hampshire County, MA: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Hampshire County's roofs are built to hold 28 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 61.6 inches of fresh, light snow, 22.4 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 5.6 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 meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.
Hampshire County in numbers
- Design roof snow load28 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map40 psf
- National rank#225 of 2,758
- Massachusetts rank#8 of 14
- Population165,399
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal36.5 in.
- FIPS25015
Hampshire County by the numbers
Nationally that's #225 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 8%; within Massachusetts alone, Hampshire County ranks #8 of 14. 27.6 psf is Massachusetts's typical county figure - Hampshire County beats it by 0.4 psf.
Hampshire County, FIPS 25015, is home to 165,399 people near 42.3395°N 72.6637°W. Its 40 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 28 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Hampshire County's snowfall, most winters
36.5 in. a year: that's Hampshire County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at AMHERST, MA US (7.2 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Hampshire County's number
Treat the Hampshire 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.)