Meade County, KS Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Meade County, KS?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Meade County to carry. 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.
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.
Meade County, KS: quick facts
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,620 of 2,758
- Kansas rank#93 of 105
- Population3,892
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal16.9 in.
- FIPS20119
How Meade County compares
15 psf ranks #1,620 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 59%) - and #93 of 105 in Kansas. Kansas counties average 18.2 psf; Meade County runs 3.2 psf lower than that.
Population 3,892 (FIPS 20119), roughly 37.2439°N 100.3601°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 Meade County, KS
NOAA's 30-year normal for Meade County: 16.9 in. of snow a year, from the MEADE, KS US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Meade 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.
Meade 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. (How this figure is calculated.)