Watonwan County, MN Roof Snow Load - 35 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Watonwan County, MN?
35 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Watonwan County to carry.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 77 in. if it's fresh powder, 28 in. once it settles, or a mere 7 in. if it's ice. 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.
Watonwan County at a glance
- Design roof snow load35 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map50 psf
- National rank#176 of 2,758
- Minnesota rank#71 of 87
- Population11,204
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal38.3 in.
- FIPS27165
How Watonwan County compares
35 psf ranks #176 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 6%) - and #71 of 87 in Minnesota. 37.4 psf is Minnesota's typical county figure - Watonwan County comes in 2.4 psf under it.
Population 11,204 (FIPS 27165), roughly 43.9781°N 94.6138°W. The 50 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 35 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Watonwan County, MN
NOAA's 30-year normal for Watonwan County: 38.3 in. of snow a year, from the NEW ULM 2 SE, MN US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Watonwan 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.
Watonwan 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. Details: the calculation guide.