Wood County, WI Roof Snow Load - 35 psf
Wood County, WI: your roof's ASCE 7 snow number, in plain English
Wood County's roofs are built to hold 35 psf of snow, the ASCE 7-22 figure a permit reviewer checks first.
In depth, not weight: that's roughly 77 inches of fresh, light snow, 28 inches of old, settled snow, or as little as 7 inches of solid ice - snow that heavy is rare here but ice from a freeze-thaw cycle adds up far faster than the depth suggests. This is a serious structural load - older homes built before modern snow-load provisions, or ones with low-slope or flat roof sections, are worth having checked.
Wood County at a glance
- Design roof snow load35 psf
- Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map50 psf
- National rank#112 of 2,758
- Wisconsin rank#21 of 72
- Population73,943
- Annual snowfall, NOAA normal47.8 in.
- FIPS55141
Wood County by the numbers
Nationally that's #112 out of 2,758 rated counties, the top 4%; within Wisconsin alone, Wood County ranks #21 of 72. That's 4.1 psf above Wisconsin's own county-average design load of 30.9 psf.
Wood County, FIPS 55141, is home to 73,943 people near 44.4614°N 90.0388°W. Its 50 psf ground snow load figure is the map value; 35 psf is what a roof is actually designed for.
Wood County's snowfall, most winters
47.8 in. a year: that's Wood County's NOAA 1991-2020 snowfall normal, measured at WIS RAPIDS GRAND AV B, WI US (11.1 mi away). See the density guide.
Before you rely on Wood County's number
Treat the Wood County figure as a starting point, not a final answer: it assumes standard occupancy, a heated structure and a moderately sheltered site, per ASCE 7-22's own defaults. Exposed terrain, an unheated building or a steeper roof all shift the real number.
For a real application, skip the county number and go straight to the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool - enter your coordinates and it returns a site-specific figure a plan reviewer will recognize. (How this figure is calculated.)