Evaluation of East Coast Snow Loads Following January 1996 Storms

Numerous roof collapses throughout the Middle Atlantic and New England States followed the occurrence of two winter storms during the period of Jan. 6–15, 1996. Cumulative horizontal ground-measured snow loads for these two storms are derived by analyzing daily liquid-equivalent precipitation measurements and preexisting snow depth observations at approximately 300 stations. The resulting values are compared to published 50-year recurrence interval snow loads that define the minimum design criteria for roof structures. In general, snow loads were found to exceed the 50-year recurrence interval value along a band encompassing the Boston to Washington corridor. Snow loads in excess of the 100-year recurrence interval value were estimated near Baltimore, Md; in central New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania; over the Lower Hudson Valley and extreme eastern Long Island in New York; and south of Boston, Mass. Snow loads in southern New Jersey, central Massachusetts, and most of Rhode Island did not to exceed the 50-year return period amount.