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.

Snow on Nicholas County's roofs right now?

in. of

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.)