Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
52 dead, 27 girls at camp missing after catastrophic flooding in Texas. Read the latest Chevron right
Tropical Storm Chantal forms in Atlantic before landfall in South Carolina. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

75°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

75°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Weather News

How to prevent a roof collapse during a massive snowstorm

By Alexa Lewis, AccuWeather staff writer

Copied

Cameras captured the moment the roof of a gym at North Medford High School in Medford, Oregon, collapsed on Feb. 11 under the weight of an estimated 700,000 pounds of snow on the roof over the course of a week. AccuWeather’s Melissa Constanzer explains.

When a major winter storm unfolds, home and business owners have more than messy roads to worry about. Heavy snow can pose a serious risk to roofs and cause some to collapse, creating dangerous conditions. Still, experts say the safest way to deal with piles of snow is to call for professional help.

AccuWeather Forensic Meteorologist Steve Wistar said home and business owners should hire contractors to remove the snow or use rakes if the roof is not too high.

In the northeastern United States, roofs are generally designed to support 30 pounds per square foot, Wistar said, but some roofs are built to support 40, 50 or even 100 pounds per square foot, according to the ASCE Standard Handbook.

snow rake

Bong Wang uses a snow rake to try and clean an ice jam from the roof of his home, Saturday Jan. 9, 2010, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)

“But 30 pounds per square foot is just a starting point, then you have to factor in the other variables,” Wistar said.

The amount of snow accumulation is not always the best guide to determining how much weight snow is putting on a roof.

"If the roof is sagging, it has to be handled very carefully because the added weight of people shoveling the snow could cause a problem," said Anthony Maiocco from Maiocco Structural Engineering. "And a contractor would have more experience with safety."

Weight of snow

The inches of snow accumulation do not directly dictate the weight that is placed on a roof. The weight of snow is actually dependent on the water content, Wistar said.

One inch of water weighs 5.2 pounds per square foot, and snow can have different distributions of water content, which depends on a number of variables including outside temperature.

Wet snow weighs more than dry snow because it has a higher water content.

Dry, powdery snow weighs less and its dusty, flaky texture makes it prone to drifting, which is ideal for any roof designed for drifting.

But roofs with external roof units, such as air conditioning or parapet units, are more prone to uneven weight distribution as the snow drifts against these units instead of blowing off the roof. When powdery snow is blown in the wind, the snowflakes break apart and when they resettle they actually become more dense adding to the weight around rooftop units, Wistar said.

“When snow weighs 10 pounds per square foot that is okay, but when it starts getting into the 20s then it can be a concern for a roof,” Wistar said.

Over time snow compacts and settles down, meaning the snow won’t be as deep but the weight will be the same. What was once one foot of snow may become less, but the weight will not change, Wistar said.

And when temperatures rise and snowfall turns to rainfall, the snow already coating rooftops can become saturated and heavy with rain.

When the snow does begin to melt away, it can refreeze around gutters and drains under lower temperatures, trapping more melting water on the roof. The trapped water can not only leak into the home's interior, but it causes further stress on the roof.

Different roof designs are built to cope with snow differently, each one with both advantages and disadvantages.

snow roof

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Sloped roofs

Gable roofs, which have two sloping sides, can become problematic in heavy wind conditions, when snow will blow from one side and settle on the other.

Some sloped roofs, with enough slope and that are short enough, can allow snow to blow from one side then onto the ground.

But sloped roofs are also prone to ice dams, which can cause interior and roof damage.

No house insulation is perfect and as heat escapes up through the middle of the roof, it can melt away the lower layers of the snowpack. As this water migrates away from the heated center and reaches the cold eaves, or edges, of the house it can quickly freeze, Wistar said.

Other variables such as solar radiation and the home's orientation toward sunlight can impact how prone the house is to ice dams. The snow will melt in the sun but refreeze in the shade.

roof

A car drives by Schmidt's Collision and Glass after the roof collapsed after taking on heavy snow during this week's lake-effect snowstorms on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Hamburg, New York. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

An ice dam can cause damage to the drainage system and gutters as it prevents other water run-off from escaping. As water is backed up behind the thick dam, it can infiltrate into the home’s interior and keep unwanted weight on top of the roof.

“When you have an ice dam, you block water from going anywhere and it can sink back under the roof,” said Wister. “And anywhere that water collects and freezes, the solid ice is going to be heavier.”

This heavy ice can also cause stress and damage to the roof, Wistar said.

A-frame roofs, which have very steep slopes, speed up water run-off so that it doesn't have the opportunity to refreeze.

However, these sloped roofs typically aren’t feasible for large industrial buildings, hospitals or any other large building.

ice

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Flat roofs

While most roofs are not entirely flat, roofs with a level appearance allow snow to blow off the roof easily. However, some of these roofs have external systems on the roof, including air conditioning and parapet units, which encourage snow drifts to settle around the unit.

These roofs are also less prone to ice dam formation, but the draining systems on top of the roof can freeze over trapping melting water on the roof.

Wistar said that there really is no ideal roof type to battle winter weather, and it all really comes down to the type of snow and the amount of wind.

Read more:

How cooking spray and socks can make shoveling snow easier
Shoveling snow increases risk for winter heart attacks, experts say
'Lies my mother told me:' Debunking cold-weather myths
Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

52 dead in Texas, 27 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

Jul. 6, 2025
video

Rescuers save person clinging to an electric pole amid Texas floods

Jul. 4, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

52 dead in Texas, 27 girls at Camp Mystic missing in flooding

35 minutes ago

Hurricane

Chantal to make landfall in South Carolina Sunday morning

2 hours ago

Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

10 hours ago

Severe Weather

Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast

1 day ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat, humidity return to the East

11 hours ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece

1 day ago

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

1 day ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

4 days ago

Weather News

What makes fireworks burst with vibrant colors?

1 day ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

2 days ago

AccuWeather Weather News How to prevent a roof collapse during a massive snowstorm
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...