Wheeler County, TX Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in Wheeler County, TX?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in Wheeler County to carry. 10.5 psf is what the ground-load formula alone gives; Wheeler County's 15 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: 33 in. if it's fresh powder, 12 in. once it settles, or a mere 3 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.
Wheeler County, TX: quick facts
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,609 of 2,758
- Texas rank#21 of 254
- Population4,824
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal4.1 in.
- FIPS48483
How Wheeler County compares
15 psf ranks #1,609 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 58%) - and #21 of 254 in Texas. That's 9.6 psf above Texas's own county-average design load of 5.4 psf.
Population 4,824 (FIPS 48483), roughly 35.3926°N 100.2531°W. The 15 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 15 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.
Typical snowfall in Wheeler County, TX
NOAA's 30-year normal for Wheeler County: 4.1 in. of snow a year, from the WHEELER, TX US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this Wheeler 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.
Wheeler 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.)