Los Alamos County, NM Roof Snow Load - Case Study Area
Why doesn't Los Alamos County have a snow load number?
ASCE 7's own snow load map has no single figure for Los Alamos County: 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 35028, population 19,675. 386 US counties get this same case-study treatment; Los Alamos County is one of them.
Los Alamos County in numbers
- Population19,675
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal42.1 in.
- FIPS35028
Los Alamos County's snowfall, most winters
42.1 in. a year: that's Los Alamos County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at LOS ALAMOS, NM US (0.8 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Los Alamos County's number
Treat the Los Alamos 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. See the methodology guide.