SnowLoadCheck

Wetzel County, WV Roof Snow Load - 20 psf

How much snow is too much for a roof in Wetzel County, WV?

Moderate
20 psf

20 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Wetzel County to carry. The physics-based figure alone would be 14 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 20 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.

Picture it, not just weigh it: 44 in. if it's fresh powder, 16 in. once it settles, or a mere 4 in. if it's ice. Modern-code homes carry a load like this without issue; an older addition, a carport, or any flat-roofed section is where it is worth checking first.

Already snow on the roof in Wetzel County?

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Wetzel County, WV: quick facts

How Wetzel County compares

20 psf ranks #1,048 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 38%) - and #23 of 34 in West Virginia. Wetzel County's figure lands almost exactly on West Virginia's own county-average of 20 psf.

Population 13,766 (FIPS 54103), roughly 39.5982°N 80.6354°W. The 20 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 20 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.

Typical snowfall in Wetzel County, WV

NOAA's 30-year normal for Wetzel County: 27.3 in. of snow a year, from the MIDDLEBOURNE 3 ESE, WV US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

What this Wetzel 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.

Wetzel 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. (How this figure is calculated.)