Suffolk city, VA Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Suffolk city
That's Suffolk city's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from. §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.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 22 in. of fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 2 in. if it's turned to ice. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Suffolk city in numbers
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,712 of 2,758
- Virginia rank#106 of 110
- Population103,105
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal5.8 in.
- FIPS51800
Where Suffolk city's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Suffolk city sits at #1,712, the top 62% nationally - #106 of 110 within Virginia. Virginia counties average 18.3 psf; Suffolk city runs 8.3 psf lower than that.
Near 36.6972°N 76.6348°W, FIPS 51800: Suffolk city counts 103,105 residents and a 10 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 10 psf.
How much it actually snows in Suffolk city
Most winters bring Suffolk city roughly 5.8 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at SUFFOLK LAKE KILBY, VA US, 2.9 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Suffolk city'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 Suffolk city's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.