SnowLoadCheck

McLean County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in McLean County

Moderate
15 psf

That's McLean County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. The physics-based figure alone would be 10.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 15 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.

Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 33 in. of fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 3 in. if it's turned to ice. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.

McLean County, KY: quick facts

Where McLean County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, McLean County sits at #1,559, the top 57% nationally - #104 of 120 within Kentucky. Kentucky counties average 15.7 psf; McLean County runs 0.7 psf lower than that.

Near 37.5267°N 87.2656°W, FIPS 21149: McLean County counts 9,126 residents and a 15 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 15 psf.

How much it actually snows in McLean County

Most winters bring McLean County roughly 4.3 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at CALHOUN LOCK 2, KY US, 0.4 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

McLean 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 McLean County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.