Pocahontas County, IA Roof Snow Load - 24.5 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Pocahontas County
That's Pocahontas 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 53.9 in. of fresh powder, 19.6 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4.9 in. if it's turned to ice. This is a meaningful design load - most modern-code homes handle it fine, though an addition, a carport or a flat-roofed section can be a weak spot.
Pocahontas County in numbers
- Design roof snow load24.5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map35 psf
- National rank#365 of 2,758
- Iowa rank#26 of 99
- Population7,006
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal38.8 in.
- FIPS19151
Where Pocahontas County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Pocahontas County sits at #365, the top 13% nationally - #26 of 99 within Iowa. 21.7 psf is Iowa's typical county figure - Pocahontas County beats it by 2.8 psf.
Near 42.734°N 94.6783°W, FIPS 19151: Pocahontas County counts 7,006 residents and a 35 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 24.5 psf.
How much it actually snows in Pocahontas County
Most winters bring Pocahontas County roughly 38.8 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at POCAHONTAS, IA US, 0.9 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.