Lea County, NM Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
Lea County, NM: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Lea County's roofs are built to hold 10 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. §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.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 22 inches of fresh, light snow, 8 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 2 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.
Lea County, NM: quick facts
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,734 of 2,758
- New Mexico rank#4 of 27
- Population75,151
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.2 in.
- FIPS35025
Lea County by the numbers
Nationally that's #1,734 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 63%; within New Mexico alone, Lea County ranks #4 of 27. That's 3.1 psf above New Mexico's own county-average design load of 6.9 psf.
Lea County, FIPS 35025, is home to 75,151 people near 32.7957°N 103.4133°W. Its 10 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 10 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Lea County's snowfall, most winters
0.2 in. a year: that's Lea County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at WASTE ISOLT'N PILOT PLT, NM US (36.6 mi away). That station is far enough away (36.6 mi) that local snowfall - especially at a different elevation or near a lake - can run noticeably higher or lower than this figure. See the density guide.
Before you rely on Lea County's number
Treat the Lea County 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. (How this figure is calculated.)