SnowLoadCheck

Powell County, KY Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

Powell County, KY: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English

Moderate
15 psf

Powell County's roofs are built to hold 15 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. ASCE 7's low-slope-roof minimum (§7.3.4) raises the governing figure to 15 psf - higher than the 10.5 psf the ground-load formula alone would give, and the code says use the larger one.

In depth, not weight: that's roughly 33 inches of fresh, light snow, 12 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 3 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. 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.

Powell County in numbers

Powell County by the numbers

Nationally that's #1,520 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 55%; within Kentucky alone, Powell County ranks #87 of 120. That's 0.7 psf below Kentucky's own county-average design load of 15.7 psf.

Powell County, FIPS 21197, is home to 12,928 people near 37.8096°N 83.8312°W. Its 15 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 15 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.

Powell County's snowfall, most winters

11.6 in. a year: that's Powell County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at STANTON 2W, KY US (5 mi away). See the density guide.

Before you rely on Powell County's number

Treat the Powell 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.