Rankin County, MS Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
Rankin County, MS: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Rankin County's roofs are built to hold 5 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first. 3.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Rankin County's 5 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 11 inches of fresh, light snow, 4 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 1 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. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Already snow on the roof in Rankin County?
Rankin County in numbers
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,116 of 2,758
- Mississippi rank#36 of 82
- Population160,573
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.7 in.
- FIPS28121
Rankin County by the numbers
Nationally that's #2,116 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 77%; within Mississippi alone, Rankin County ranks #36 of 82. That's 1.5 psf below Mississippi's own county-average design load of 6.5 psf.
Rankin County, FIPS 28121, is home to 160,573 people near 32.2671°N 89.9461°W. Its 5 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 5 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Rankin County's snowfall, most winters
0.7 in. a year: that's Rankin County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at D'LO 2 SW, MS US (21.6 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Rankin County's number
Treat the Rankin 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. (How this figure is calculated.)