Karnes County, TX Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Karnes County
That's Karnes County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. 3.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Karnes 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.
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.
Karnes County, TX: quick facts
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,333 of 2,758
- Texas rank#143 of 254
- Population15,137
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.4 in.
- FIPS48255
Where Karnes County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Karnes County sits at #2,333, the top 85% nationally - #143 of 254 within Texas. 5.4 psf is Texas's typical county figure - Karnes County comes in 0.4 psf under it.
Near 28.909°N 97.8522°W, FIPS 48255: Karnes County counts 15,137 residents and a 5 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 5 psf.
How much it actually snows in Karnes County
Most winters bring Karnes County roughly 0.4 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at RUNGE, TX US, 10 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Karnes 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 Karnes County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.