Wheeler County, NE Roof Snow Load - 20 psf
Wheeler County, NE roof snow load, translated
A typical heated home in Wheeler County is designed to carry 20 pounds per square foot of snow on its roof, per ASCE 7-22. §7.3.4's low-slope minimum of 20 psf is what actually governs on a flat or low-pitch roof here - higher than the 17.5 psf the base ground-load formula gives.
On a roof that means 44 in. of fresh snow, 16 in. once it packs down, or 4 in. of solid ice - three very different piles for the same load. 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.
Wheeler County at a glance
- Design roof snow load20 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map25 psf
- National rank#1,294 of 2,758
- Nebraska rank#82 of 93
- Population808
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal34 in.
- FIPS31183
Where Wheeler County ranks
#82 of 93 Nebraska counties by design load, top 47% of 2,758 nationally - that's Wheeler County's spot. Nebraska counties average 20.2 psf; Wheeler County runs 0.2 psf lower than that.
FIPS 31183, population 808, centered near 41.9226°N 98.5209°W. ASCE 7's underlying ground snow load here is 25 psf before the code's exposure and importance factors bring it to the 20 psf design figure above.
Wheeler County: average annual snowfall
Wheeler County sees about 34 in. of snow most winters, per the LORETTO 7W, NE US station's 1991-2020 NOAA normal. See the density guide.
Read this before you use Wheeler County's figure
The figure above assumes the case ASCE 7-22 treats as typical: a heated, ordinary-occupancy home on a partially exposed site. Change any of those - exposure, heating, roof pitch, occupancy category - and the real design number moves.
A building permit needs the number at your exact address, not the county average - the free ASCE 7 Hazard Tool returns that from your coordinates in about a minute and produces a PDF a plan reviewer will accept. Details: the calculation guide.