Metcalfe County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
Metcalfe County, KY roof snow load, translated
A typical heated home in Metcalfe County is designed to carry 15 pounds per square foot of snow on its roof, per ASCE 7-22. §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.
On a roof that means 33 in. of fresh snow, 12 in. once it packs down, or 3 in. of solid ice - three very different piles for the same load. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.
Metcalfe County at a glance
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,549 of 2,758
- Kentucky rank#101 of 120
- Population10,558
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal7.2 in.
- FIPS21169
Where Metcalfe County ranks
#101 of 120 Kentucky counties by design load, top 56% of 2,758 nationally - that's Metcalfe County's spot. That's 0.7 psf below Kentucky's own county-average design load of 15.7 psf.
FIPS 21169, population 10,558, centered near 36.9924°N 85.6335°W. ASCE 7's underlying ground snow load here is 15 psf before the code's exposure and importance factors bring it to the 15 psf design figure above.
Metcalfe County: average annual snowfall
Metcalfe County sees about 7.2 in. of snow most winters, per the SUMMER SHADE, KY US station's 1991-2020 NOAA normal. See the density guide.
Read this before you use Metcalfe County's figure
The figure above assumes the case ASCE 7-22 treats as typical: a heated, ordinary-occupancy home on a partially exposed site. Change any of those - exposure, heating, roof pitch, occupancy category - and the real design number moves.
A building permit needs the number at your exact address, not the county average - the free ASCE 7 Hazard Tool returns that from your coordinates in about a minute and produces a PDF a plan reviewer will accept. (How this figure is calculated.)