Snow and Wind Load

Patio Covers Snow Load And Wind Rating

When thinking about adding patio covers to your home there is an engineering consideration to take into account. Patio covers need certain specifications to hold up against snow and wind loads. A patio covers’ snow and wind load basically mean how much snow patio covers can hold, and how much wind patio covers can withstand. This article will detail the different snow and wind loads that patio covers must be able to withstand.

Snow Load

A patio cover’s snow load is based on pounds per square feet (PSF). Snow load figures vary depending on where you live. Different regions require different figures. This can range from general rain fall to high mountain snow fall. Listed below are some figures to keep in mind when determining your patio covers snow load:

•  10 – 20 PSF Snow Load: general rain fall
•  20 – 30 PSF Snow Load: moderate snow fall
•  30 – 40 PSF Snow Load: moderate to heavy snow fall
•  40 – 50 PSF Snow Load: heavy to high mountain snow fall
•  50 – 70 PSF Snow Load: very high mountain snow fall

These are just some general ranges of figures to keep in mind for you patio cover’s snow load. To find your PSF figure, contact your city building department and they can give you the exact PSF for your location.

Wind Ratio

A patio cover’s wind rating is based on miles per hour (MPH). Depending on the MPH requirement for you patio cover is determined by the weather conditions within your region. The average wind rating for patio covers in the United States is 90 MPH. We build our patio cover’s to be able to withstand at least 90 MPH. Areas with 110 MPG wind ratings are considered high wind areas. At Solara we can engineer patio covers to withstand up to 120 MPH! Areas with 110+ MPH wind ratings are hurricane areas located around the coasts.

Knowing My Load and Rating

You can go to your local city building department to obtain facts and figures for your area. This will also give you a realistic idea for a good patio cover design to support your specific requirements.