What is Snow and How does Snow form

Snow is defined as solid precipitation which occurs in a variety of minute ice crystals at temperatures well below 0 °C.Snow forms when tiny ice crystals in clouds stick together to become snowflakes.

To calculate the snow load on a roof. Please follow the below steps:

Figure how much weight your roof can support:

Most roofs can withstand 20 pounds per square foot of snow.

Calculate the weight of the snow on your roof:

10 inches of fresh snow equates to about 5 pounds per square foot, which means your roof likely can support 4 feets of fresh snow.

Packed snow, however, weighs more: 2 feets or more of old snow is enough to exceed weight limits. Old snow and new snow combined can easily exceed load capacity.

Just 2 feets of each could collapse a roof and do not forget to add ice to the equation. An inch of ice is equal to the weight of a foot of fresh snow.

Remove excess snow and ice:

Clearing amounts above 20 pounds per square foot. A snow rake with a long extension arm is recommended.

Look for signs of a stressed roof:

Sagging ceiling tiles, sprinkler lines, popping or creaking noises, jammed doors and windows, cracked walls or a leaking roof are all signs of an overstressed roof.