SnowLoadCheck

Hempstead County, AR Roof Snow Load - 10 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Hempstead County

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10 psf

That's Hempstead County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 10 psf - higher than the 7 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 22 in. of fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 2 in. if it's turned to ice. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.

Hempstead County, AR: quick facts

Where Hempstead County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Hempstead County sits at #1,917, the top 70% nationally - #34 of 75 within Arkansas. That's 0.1 psf below Arkansas's own county-average design load of 10.1 psf.

Near 33.736°N 93.6644°W, FIPS 05057: Hempstead County counts 19,105 residents and a 10 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 10 psf.

How much it actually snows in Hempstead County

Most winters bring Hempstead County roughly 2.1 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at HOPE 3 NE, AR US, 6.5 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Hempstead 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 Hempstead County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.