Webster Parish, LA Roof Snow Load - 5 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Webster Parish, LA?
5 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Webster Parish to carry. 3.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Webster Parish's 5 psf low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) beats it, so that figure is the one that governs on flat and low-pitch roofs.
Picture it, not just weigh it: 11 in. if it's fresh powder, 4 in. once it settles, or a mere 1 in. if it's ice. A modest addition to standard roof loading. Ordinary residential construction handles this without extra bracing.
Already snow on the roof in Webster Parish?
Webster Parish in numbers
- Design roof snow load5 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map5 psf
- National rank#2,223 of 2,758
- Louisiana rank#11 of 64
- Population35,184
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal0.4 in.
- FIPS22119
How Webster Parish compares
5 psf ranks #2,223 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 81%) - and #11 of 64 in Louisiana. 2.4 psf is Louisiana's typical county figure - Webster Parish beats it by 2.6 psf.
Population 35,184 (FIPS 22119), roughly 32.7322°N 93.3398°W. The 5 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 5 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Webster Parish, LA
NOAA's 30-year normal for Webster Parish: 0.4 in. of snow a year, from the MINDEN, LA US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Webster Parish 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.
Webster Parish'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.