Harper County, KS Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Harper County
That's Harper County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. 10.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Harper County's 15 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 33 in. of fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 3 in. if it's turned to ice. This is a meaningful design load - most modern-code homes handle it fine, though an addition, a carport or a flat-roofed section can be a weak spot.
Harper County at a glance
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,601 of 2,758
- Kansas rank#89 of 105
- Population5,413
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal7.9 in.
- FIPS20077
Where Harper County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Harper County sits at #1,601, the top 58% nationally - #89 of 105 within Kansas. Kansas counties average 18.2 psf; Harper County runs 3.2 psf lower than that.
Near 37.1882°N 98.0666°W, FIPS 20077: Harper County counts 5,413 residents and a 15 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 15 psf.
How much it actually snows in Harper County
Most winters bring Harper County roughly 7.9 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at BLUFF CITY, KS US, 13.3 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Harper County's number above is ASCE 7-22's default case, not a custom calculation: ordinary residential occupancy, heated, sited on ground that's neither fully sheltered nor fully exposed. Any one of those changing - pitch, exposure, heating, occupancy - moves the real figure.
Nothing here substitutes for an address-level number. Get one free, in about a minute, from the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool using your own coordinates rather than Harper County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.