Ward County, ND Roof Snow Load - 24.5 psf
What ASCE 7 says about snow load in Ward County
That's Ward County's design roof snow load per ASCE 7-22, for a typical heated single-family home - the number a permit reviewer starts from.
Converted to something you can actually eyeball on a roof: about 53.9 in. of fresh powder, 19.6 in. once it settles and packs down, or just 4.9 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.
Already snow on the roof in Ward County?
Ward County in numbers
- Design roof snow load24.5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map35 psf
- National rank#320 of 2,758
- North Dakota rank#33 of 49
- Population68,427
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal55.3 in.
- FIPS38101
Where Ward County's figure sits nationally
Out of 2,758 rated US counties, Ward County sits at #320, the top 12% nationally - #33 of 49 within North Dakota. That's 4.9 psf below North Dakota's own county-average design load of 29.4 psf.
Near 48.2167°N 101.5405°W, FIPS 38101: Ward County counts 68,427 residents and a 35 psf map value, which the code's own factors turn into 24.5 psf.
How much it actually snows in Ward County
Most winters bring Ward County roughly 55.3 in. of snow - NOAA's normal at BERTHOLD, ND US, 11.1 mi off. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
Read this before you rely on it
Ward 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 Ward County's county-wide figure. (How this figure is calculated.)