McDuffie County, GA Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
McDuffie County, GA: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
McDuffie County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. The physics-based figure alone would be 3.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 5 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 11 inches of fresh, light snow, 4 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 1 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.
Got real snow on a McDuffie County roof right now?
McDuffie County in numbers
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,281 of 2,758
- Georgia rank#67 of 159
- Population21,764
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.3 in.
- FIPS13189
McDuffie County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,281 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 83%; within Georgia alone, McDuffie County ranks #67 of 159. That's 1.4 psf above Georgia's own county-average design load of 3.6 psf.
McDuffie County, FIPS 13189, is home to 21,764 people near 33.4806°N 82.4796°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
McDuffie County's snowfall, most winters
0.3 in. a year: that's McDuffie County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at GIBSON, GA US (18.8 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on McDuffie County's number
Treat the McDuffie 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.)