Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK Roof Snow Load - Case Study Area
Why doesn't Kenai Peninsula Borough have a snow load number?
Kenai Peninsula Borough sits in the mountain-west terrain where ASCE 7-22 §7.2 itself declines to give a contour figure - elevation changes too fast over short distances there for one number per county to mean anything. The code requires a site-specific study for a building here, not a look-up.
Kenai Peninsula Borough, FIPS 02122, is home to 61,259 people - one of 386 US counties ASCE 7 itself routes around a map figure for.
Kenai Peninsula Borough in numbers
- Population61,259
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal100.6 in.
- FIPS02122
Typical snowfall in Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK
NOAA's 30-year normal for Kenai Peninsula Borough: 100.6 in. of snow a year, from the HOMER 8 NW, AK US station. Worth noting: the nearest station reporting snowfall normals sits 49.1 mi from Kenai Peninsula Borough's center, so treat this as a regional figure rather than an exact one. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Kenai Peninsula Borough 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.
Kenai Peninsula Borough'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.)