SnowLoadCheck

Nicholas County, WV Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Nicholas County

Moderate
20 psf

That's Nicholas 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 17.5 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. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.

Nicholas County in numbers

Where Nicholas County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Nicholas County sits at #917, the top 33% nationally - #16 of 34 within West Virginia. Nicholas County's figure lands almost exactly on West Virginia's own county-average of 20 psf.

Near 38.2914°N 80.7975°W, FIPS 54067: Nicholas County counts 24,017 residents and a 25 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.

How much it actually snows in Nicholas County

Most winters bring Nicholas County roughly 67.6 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at MT NEBO 1 S, WV US, 7.7 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Nicholas 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 Nicholas County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)