Providence County, RI Roof Snow Load - 24.5 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Providence County
That's Providence 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.
Providence County at a glance
- Design roof snow load24.5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map35 psf
- National rank#303 of 2,758
- Rhode Island rank#1 of 5
- Population675,912
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal62 in.
- FIPS44007
Where Providence County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Providence County sits at #303, the top 11% nationally - #1 of 5 within Rhode Island. That's 2.8 psf above Rhode Island's own county-average design load of 21.7 psf.
Near 41.8698°N 71.5786°W, FIPS 44007: Providence County counts 675,912 residents and a 35 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 24.5 psf.
How much it actually snows in Providence County
Most winters bring Providence County roughly 62 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at N FOSTER 1 E, RI US, 8 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Providence 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 Providence County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.