SnowLoadCheck

Middlesex County, VA Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Middlesex County

Moderate
20 psf

That's Middlesex County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 20 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 14 psf the base ground-load formula gives.

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.

Already snow on the roof in Middlesex County?

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Middlesex County in numbers

Where Middlesex County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Middlesex County sits at #1,088, the top 39% nationally - #73 of 110 within Virginia. 18.3 psf is Virginia's typical county figure - Middlesex County beats it by 1.7 psf.

Near 37.607°N 76.5281°W, FIPS 51119: Middlesex County counts 10,949 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.

How much it actually snows in Middlesex County

Most winters bring Middlesex County roughly 8.5 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at N, VA US, 12.9 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Middlesex 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 Middlesex County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.