Power County, ID Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Power County, ID?
10 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Power County to carry. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 10 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 7 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 22 in. if it's fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles, or a mere 2 in. if it's ice. Standard residential construction handles a load this size without extra bracing; it is a modest addition on top of ordinary roof loading.
Power County, ID: quick facts
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#2,014 of 2,758
- Idaho rank#9 of 9
- Population8,381
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal34.9 in.
- FIPS16077
How Power County compares
10 psf ranks #2,014 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 73%) - and #9 of 9 in Idaho. 12.2 psf is Idaho's typical county figure - Power County comes in 2.2 psf under it.
Population 8,381 (FIPS 16077), roughly 42.6941°N 112.8444°W. The 10 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 10 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Power County, ID
NOAA's 30-year normal for Power County: 34.9 in. of snow a year, from the AMERICAN FALLS 6 NE, ID US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Power County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
Power County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. (How this figure is calculated.)