Hinds County, MS Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Hinds County
That's Hinds County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. The physics-based figure alone would be 3.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 5 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 11 in. of fresh powder, 4 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 1 in. if it's turned to ice. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Hinds County in numbers
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,100 of 2,758
- Mississippi rank#35 of 82
- Population211,975
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.7 in.
- FIPS28049
Where Hinds County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Hinds County sits at #2,100, the top 76% nationally - #35 of 82 within Mississippi. 6.5 psf is Mississippi's typical county figure - Hinds County comes in 1.5 psf under it.
Near 32.2678°N 90.466°W, FIPS 28049: Hinds County counts 211,975 residents and a 5 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 5 psf.
How much it actually snows in Hinds County
Most winters bring Hinds County roughly 0.7 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at CRYSTAL SPGS EXP STN, MS US, 22.8 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Hinds 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 Hinds County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.