SnowLoadCheck

Jefferson County, OK Roof Snow Load - 5 psf

How much snow is too much for a roof in Jefferson County, OK?

Light
5 psf

5 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Jefferson County to carry. 3.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Jefferson County's 5 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.

Picture it, not just weigh it: 11 in. if it's fresh powder, 4 in. once it settles, or a mere 1 in. if it's ice. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.

Jefferson County, OK: quick facts

How Jefferson County compares

5 psf ranks #2,429 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 88%) - and #77 of 77 in Oklahoma. 11 psf is Oklahoma's typical county figure - Jefferson County comes in 6 psf under it.

Population 5,374 (FIPS 40067), roughly 34.1051°N 97.8389°W. The 5 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 5 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.

Typical snowfall in Jefferson County, OK

NOAA's 30-year normal for Jefferson County: 1.9 in. of snow a year, from the WAURIKA, OK US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

What this Jefferson County figure assumes

This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.

Jefferson County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. (How this figure is calculated.)