Ground Snow Loads

Abstract

ASCE 7-16 specifies roof snow loads based on or related to the ground snow load, pg. This approach, which mirrors Canadian practice, is used because of the abundance of information on ground snow measurements relative to information on roof snow loads. As winter progresses, the average ground snow density tends to increase with additional snowfall. Compacted sites are higher-elevation mountain sites with nominally continuous snow cover throughout the winter. ASCE 7-16 presents ground snow load information as a map and as tables for selected states. In ASCE 7-16, the ground snow load map is blank for Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. For sites in these states, users are directed to individual state tables with elevation and ground snow load for the 50 most heavily populated towns in the state.