Norman County, MN Roof Snow Load - 42 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Norman County, MN?
42 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Norman County to carry.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 92.4 in. if it's fresh powder, 33.6 in. once it settles, or a mere 8.4 in. if it's ice. A load this size is a serious structural matter; pre-modern-code homes and low-slope or flat-roofed sections are the ones most worth an inspection.
Norman County in numbers
- Design roof snow load42 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map60 psf
- National rank#76 of 2,758
- Minnesota rank#24 of 87
- Population6,284
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal51.4 in.
- FIPS27107
How Norman County compares
42 psf ranks #76 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 3%) - and #24 of 87 in Minnesota. 37.4 psf is Minnesota's typical county figure - Norman County beats it by 4.6 psf.
Population 6,284 (FIPS 27107), roughly 47.3295°N 96.4638°W. The 60 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 42 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Norman County, MN
NOAA's 30-year normal for Norman County: 51.4 in. of snow a year, from the FARGO HECTOR INTL AP, ND US station. 32.3 mi is a real gap between Norman County and its nearest reporting station, so local snowfall can diverge from this figure, especially near elevation changes. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Norman County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
Norman County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. See the methodology guide.