SnowLoadCheck

Vernon County, MO Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Vernon County

Moderate
20 psf

That's Vernon 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 14 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 20 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 44 in. of fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4 in. if it's turned to ice. A meaningful design load. Most homes built to modern code handle it, but additions, carports, and flat-roofed sections are worth a second look.

Vernon County in numbers

Where Vernon County's figure sits nationally

Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Vernon County sits at #963, the top 35% nationally - #41 of 115 within Missouri. Missouri counties average 18.6 psf; Vernon County runs 1.4 psf higher than that.

Near 37.8502°N 94.3417°W, FIPS 29217: Vernon County counts 19,787 residents and a 20 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 20 psf.

How much it actually snows in Vernon County

Most winters bring Vernon County roughly 7.3 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at LAMAR 7N, MO US, 17.7 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

Read this before you rely on it

Vernon 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 Vernon County's county-wide figure. See the methodology guide.