White County, IL Roof Snow Load - 15 psf
How much snow is too much for a roof in White County, IL?
15 psf: that's what ASCE 7-22 requires a typical heated home's roof in White County to carry. The physics-based figure alone would be 10.5 psf, but ASCE 7's own low-slope minimum (§7.3.4) sets a floor of 15 psf for flat and low-pitch roofs here, which is the number that actually governs.
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. 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.
Already snow on the roof in White County?
White County in numbers
- Design roof snow load15 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map15 psf
- National rank#1,515 of 2,758
- Illinois rank#95 of 102
- Population13,395
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal11.8 in.
- FIPS17193
How White County compares
15 psf ranks #1,515 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 55%) - and #95 of 102 in Illinois. 19.3 psf is Illinois's typical county figure - White County comes in 4.3 psf under it.
Population 13,395 (FIPS 17193), roughly 38.0873°N 88.1786°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 White County, IL
NOAA's 30-year normal for White County: 11.8 in. of snow a year, from the GRAYVILLE, IL US station. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)
What this White 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.
White 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.)