McCreary County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in McCreary County, KY?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in McCreary County to carry. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 15 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 10.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 33 in. if it's fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles, or a mere 3 in. if it's ice. This is a meaningful design load - most modern-code homes handle it fine, though an addition, a carport or a flat-roofed section can be a weak spot.
McCreary County in numbers
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,493 of 2,758
- Kentucky rank#74 of 120
- Population16,824
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal5.5 in.
- FIPS21147
How McCreary County compares
15 psf ranks #1,493 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 54%) - and #74 of 120 in Kentucky. That's 0.7 psf below Kentucky's own county-average design load of 15.7 psf.
Population 16,824 (FIPS 21147), roughly 36.7311°N 84.4911°W. The 15 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 15 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in McCreary County, KY
NOAA's 30-year normal for McCreary County: 5.5 in. of snow a year, from the ONEIDA, TN US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this McCreary County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
McCreary County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. See the methodology guide.