Madison County, VA Roof Snow Load - 21 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Madison County
That's Madison County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 46.2 in. of fresh powder, 16.8 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4.2 in. if it's turned to ice. Modern-code homes carry a load like this without issue; an older addition, a carport, or any flat-roofed section is where it is worth checking first.
Madison County at a glance
- Design roof snow load21 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map30 psf
- National rank#465 of 2,758
- Virginia rank#10 of 110
- Population14,252
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal15.5 in.
- FIPS51113
Where Madison County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Madison County sits at #465, the top 17% nationally - #10 of 110 within Virginia. 18.3 psf is Virginia's typical county figure - Madison County beats it by 2.7 psf.
Near 38.4121°N 78.277°W, FIPS 51113: Madison County counts 14,252 residents and a 30 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 21 psf.
How much it actually snows in Madison County
Most winters bring Madison County roughly 15.5 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at SOMERSET, VA US, 11.5 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Madison 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 Madison County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)