SnowLoadCheck

Mora County, NM Roof Snow Load - 10 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Mora County

Light
10 psf

That's Mora 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 7 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 10 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 22 in. of fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 2 in. if it's turned to ice. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.

Mora County at a glance

Where Mora County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Mora County sits at #2,051, the top 74% nationally - #9 of 27 within New Mexico. That's 3.1 psf above New Mexico's own county-average design load of 6.9 psf.

Near 35.9828°N 104.9219°W, FIPS 35033: Mora County counts 4,096 residents and a 10 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 10 psf.

How much it actually snows in Mora County

Most winters bring Mora County roughly 23.7 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at VALMORA, NM US, 11.5 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

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