Howard County, AR Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Howard County
That's Howard 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 7 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 10 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 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.
Howard County at a glance
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,976 of 2,758
- Arkansas rank#53 of 75
- Population12,387
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal2.2 in.
- FIPS05061
Where Howard County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Howard County sits at #1,976, the top 72% nationally - #53 of 75 within Arkansas. That's 0.1 psf below Arkansas's own county-average design load of 10.1 psf.
Near 34.0831°N 93.9909°W, FIPS 05061: Howard County counts 12,387 residents and a 10 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 10 psf.
How much it actually snows in Howard County
Most winters bring Howard County roughly 2.2 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at DIERKS, AR US, 3.4 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Howard 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 Howard County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.