Too Much Snow For Roofs In Western New York?

For those in the southtowns of Buffalo and Western New York, there will be a big of relief today from the lake effect snow machine. After an incredible 66+" of snow in some spots, the cleanup begins. But where do you start?

Most of the homes in Western New York took on an incredible amount of snow in a short period of time and perhaps you spent time cleaning up the driveway or trying to keep up with it at the very least. But the roof of your home or garage or barn may have 5 feet of snow on it! Do you get up there and clean it or just ride it out?

From what I have found, most roofs can sustain quite a bit of snow. Depending on the design and structure, the roof can hold a couple feet of snow. But there are ways to tell from the inside of the home if there is too much SNOW LOAD on the roof. Snow load is the weight of the snow. Not necessarily the depth.

Another easy indicator that professionals and homeowners alike can use, is to keep an eye on center-of-the-house doors, like the door to the bedroom upstairs for example. If the door doesn’t stick or jam at all before snow but does so after snow accumulates, there is a problem.

Either way...BE SAFE! This storm has already caused a couple of fatalities related to snow removal.