Osceola County, IA Roof Snow Load - 28 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Osceola County
That's Osceola County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 61.6 in. of fresh powder, 22.4 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 5.6 in. if it's turned to ice. Modern-code homes carry a load like this without issue; an older addition, a carport, or any flat-roofed section is where it is worth checking first.
Osceola County at a glance
- Design roof snow load28 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map40 psf
- National rank#275 of 2,758
- Iowa rank#9 of 99
- Population6,036
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal45.6 in.
- FIPS19143
Where Osceola County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Osceola County sits at #275, the top 10% nationally - #9 of 99 within Iowa. 21.7 psf is Iowa's typical county figure - Osceola County beats it by 6.3 psf.
Near 43.3785°N 95.6338°W, FIPS 19143: Osceola County counts 6,036 residents and a 40 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 28 psf.
How much it actually snows in Osceola County
Most winters bring Osceola County roughly 45.6 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at OCHEYEDAN, IA US, 5.7 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Osceola 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 Osceola County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)