SnowLoadCheck

Seward County, KS Roof Snow Load - 15 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Seward County

Moderate
15 psf

That's Seward County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. The physics-based figure alone would be 10.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 15 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.

Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 33 in. of fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 3 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.

Seward County in numbers

Where Seward County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Seward County sits at #1,459, the top 53% nationally - #80 of 105 within Kansas. 18.2 psf is Kansas's typical county figure - Seward County comes in 3.2 psf under it.

Near 37.181°N 100.8553°W, FIPS 20175: Seward County counts 21,276 residents and a 15 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 15 psf.

How much it actually snows in Seward County

Most winters bring Seward County roughly 14.4 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at LIBERAL, KS US, 10.8 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Seward 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 Seward County's county-wide figure. Details: the calculation guide.