Washington County, MS Roof Snow Load - 10 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Washington County, MS?
10 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Washington County to carry. §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.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 22 in. if it's fresh powder, 8 in. once it settles, or a mere 2 in. if it's ice. This is a modest add-on to standard roof loading - ordinary residential construction carries it without extra bracing.
Washington County in numbers
- Design roof snow load10 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map10 psf
- National rank#1,802 of 2,758
- Mississippi rank#6 of 82
- Population41,181
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.4 in.
- FIPS28151
How Washington County compares
10 psf ranks #1,802 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 65%) - and #6 of 82 in Mississippi. Mississippi counties average 6.5 psf; Washington County runs 3.5 psf higher than that.
Population 41,181 (FIPS 28151), roughly 33.2732°N 90.9444°W. The 10 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 10 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Washington County, MS
NOAA's 30-year normal for Washington County: 0.4 in. of snow a year, from the STONEVILLE EXP STN, MS US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Washington County figure assumes
This is a county-level reference figure for a typical heated home built to Risk Category II (ordinary residential), on a partially exposed lot - the assumptions ASCE 7-22 itself treats as the default case. A steeper roof, a fully exposed hilltop lot, an unheated structure, or a higher risk category all change the actual number.
Washington County's permit office wants an address-specific figure, not this county average - the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool is free, takes under a minute, and outputs a PDF most reviewers accept. See the methodology guide.