Olmsted County, MN Roof Snow Load - 35 psf
Olmsted County, MN: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Olmsted County's roofs are built to hold 35 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 77 inches of fresh, light snow, 28 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 7 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. This is a serious structural load - older homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or ones with low-slope or flat roof sections, are worth having checked.
Olmsted County, MN: quick facts
- Design roof snow load35 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map50 psf
- National rank#100 of 2,758
- Minnesota rank#35 of 87
- Population166,424
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal52.3 in.
- FIPS27109
Olmsted County by the numbers
Nationally that's #100 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 4%; within Minnesota alone, Olmsted County ranks #35 of 87. That's 2.4 psf below Minnesota's own county-average design load of 37.4 psf.
Olmsted County, FIPS 27109, is home to 166,424 people near 43.9997°N 92.4102°W. Its 50 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 35 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Olmsted County's snowfall, most winters
52.3 in. a year: that's Olmsted County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at ROCHESTER AP 2NE, MN US (5.5 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Olmsted County's number
Treat the Olmsted County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.
For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. (How this figure is calculated.)