Wrangell City and Borough, AK Roof Snow Load - 42 psf

How much snow is too much for a roof in Wrangell City and Borough, AK?

Picture it, not just weigh it: 92.4 in. if it's fresh powder, 33.6 in. once it settles, or a mere 8.4 in. if it's ice. 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.

Wrangell City and Borough at a glance

• Design roof snow load42 psf
• Ground snow load, ASCE 7 map60 psf
• National rank#85 of 2,758
• Alaska rank#2 of 4
• Population2,064
• Annual snowfall, NOAA normal85.6 in.
• FIPS02275

How Wrangell City and Borough compares

42 psf ranks #85 of 2,758 US counties with a mapped snow load (top 3%) - and #2 of 4 in Alaska. Alaska counties average 38.5 psf; Wrangell City and Borough runs 3.5 psf higher than that.

Population 2,064 (FIPS 02275), roughly 56.1808°N 132.0268°W. The 60 psf ground snow load ASCE 7-22 maps here becomes 42 psf once the code's own design factors are applied.

Typical snowfall in Wrangell City and Borough, AK

NOAA's 30-year normal for Wrangell City and Borough: 85.6 in. of snow a year, from the PETERSBURG 1, AK US station. Worth noting: the nearest station reporting snowfall normals sits 55.4 mi from Wrangell City and Borough's center, so treat this as a regional figure rather than an exact one. (fresh vs. packed vs. ice explains why.)

What this Wrangell City and Borough 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.

Wrangell City and Borough'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. See the methodology guide.