Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK Snow Load: Case Study Area
Why doesn't Ketchikan Gateway Borough have a snow load number?
ASCE 7's own snow load map has no single figure for Ketchikan Gateway Borough: the terrain is complex enough that the code (§7.2) requires an elevation-specific study rather than a county-wide value. That is the map being accurate, not a data gap.
FIPS 02130, population 13,677. 386 US counties get this same case-study treatment; Ketchikan Gateway Borough is one of them.
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK: quick facts
- Population13,677
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal34.8 in.
- FIPS02130
Ketchikan Gateway Borough's snowfall, most winters
34.8 in. a year: that's Ketchikan Gateway Borough's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at ANNETTE ISLAND AP, AK US (33.9 mi away). Worth noting: the nearest station reporting snowfall normals sits 33.9 mi from Ketchikan Gateway Borough's center, so treat this as a regional figure rather than an exact one. See the density guide.
Before you rely on Ketchikan Gateway Borough's number
Treat the Ketchikan Gateway Borough figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.
For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. Details: the calculation guide.