Pope County, MN Roof Snow Load - 35 psf
Pope County, MN: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Pope 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.
Pope County in numbers
- Design roof snow load35 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map50 psf
- National rank#174 of 2,758
- Minnesota rank#69 of 87
- Population11,495
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal42.6 in.
- FIPS27121
Pope County by the numbers
Nationally that's #174 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 6%; within Minnesota alone, Pope County ranks #69 of 87. Minnesota counties average 37.4 psf; Pope County runs 2.4 psf lower than that.
Pope County, FIPS 27121, is home to 11,495 people near 45.5896°N 95.4467°W. Its 50 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 35 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Pope County's snowfall, most winters
42.6 in. a year: that's Pope County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at BENSON, MN US (20.6 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Pope County's number
Treat the Pope 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. Details: the calculation guide.