Merrick County, NE Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Merrick County
That's Merrick 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 17.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 20 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 44 in. of fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4 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.
Merrick County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map25 psf
- National rank#1,152 of 2,758
- Nebraska rank#44 of 93
- Population7,837
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal28.6 in.
- FIPS31121
Where Merrick County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Merrick County sits at #1,152, the top 42% nationally - #44 of 93 within Nebraska. 20.2 psf is Nebraska's typical county figure - Merrick County comes in 0.2 psf under it.
Near 41.1698°N 98.0311°W, FIPS 31121: Merrick County counts 7,837 residents and a 25 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.
How much it actually snows in Merrick County
Most winters bring Merrick County roughly 28.6 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at CENTRAL CITY, NE US, 3.3 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Merrick 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 Merrick County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.