Lauderdale County, AL Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Lauderdale County
That's Lauderdale County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 10 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 7 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
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. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.
Lauderdale County, AL: quick facts
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,720 of 2,758
- Alabama rank#5 of 67
- Population97,502
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.6 in.
- FIPS01077
Where Lauderdale County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Lauderdale County sits at #1,720, the top 62% nationally - #5 of 67 within Alabama. Alabama counties average 5.6 psf; Lauderdale County runs 4.4 psf higher than that.
Near 34.9042°N 87.6511°W, FIPS 01077: Lauderdale County counts 97,502 residents and a 10 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 10 psf.
How much it actually snows in Lauderdale County
Most winters bring Lauderdale County roughly 0.6 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at RUSSELLVILLE #2, AL US, 27.6 mi off. That station is far enough away (27.6 mi) that local snowfall - especially at a different elevation or near a lake - can run noticeably higher or lower than this figure. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.