Wadena County, MN Roof Snow Load - 42 psf
Wadena County, MN: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Wadena County's roofs are built to hold 42 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 92.4 inches of fresh, light snow, 33.6 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 8.4 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. This is a serious structural load - older homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or ones with low-slope or flat roof sections, are worth having checked.
Wadena County in numbers
- Design roof snow load42 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map60 psf
- National rank#65 of 2,758
- Minnesota rank#21 of 87
- Population14,437
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal45.6 in.
- FIPS27159
Wadena County by the numbers
Nationally that's #65 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 2%; within Minnesota alone, Wadena County ranks #21 of 87. That's 4.6 psf above Minnesota's own county-average design load of 37.4 psf.
Wadena County, FIPS 27159, is home to 14,437 people near 46.587°N 94.9886°W. Its 60 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 42 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Wadena County's snowfall, most winters
45.6 in. a year: that's Wadena County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at NEW YORK MILLS, MN US (19.3 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Wadena County's number
Treat the Wadena 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.)