Roof Collapse Report

Jacob Morse
Patrick Wright
Matt Yarosewick
CASE A REPORT
Introduction (see map of State College in the attached images pages - figure 1):
Mr. Wanna B. Rich is suing Ricky’s Roofing for faulty roofing materials used that lead to
a garage roof collapse and subsequent damage to his vintage automobile on the 15th of
February, 2014. Ricky’s Roofing claims the roof was built to withstand “a once in a 75-year
snow event.” We have been asked to analyze the weather data on and before the 15th of
February, focusing on snow depth, water content of the snow, precipitation, and temperatures.
Data Sources:
The three primary data sources that we used to determine what the weather conditions
were like around the time of the roof collapse were SC ACIS, NOAA’s National Snow Analysis
archive, and the State College COOP Observing Site records. SC ACIS was used primarily to
retrieve how much snow fell and what the snow depth was on each day during the month of
February. Additionally, daily temperature data was retrieved using SC ACIS to determine if any
snow melt could have occured. NOAA’s National Snow Analysis archive was not only useful to
determine what the snow depth was on February 15th, but also to figure out what the snow’s
liquid water equivalent was on this day. This information was helpful in determining what the
weight of the snow was on the roof of the garage. Finally, the State College Cooperative
Observing Site was useful to determine temperatures and precipitation around the date of the
garage roof collapse.
Data Limitations:
Some of the shortcomings of our data used were the fact that the house of interest could
have been several miles away from the observing site used on SC ACIS. A slightly different
amount of snow might have fallen on the garage’s roof leading up to the roof collapse than the
amount of snow that fell at the State College observing site. Additionally, more snow might have
melted on the garage’s roof than at the observing site, causing a different amount of snow to be
on the roof at the time of the roof collapse. This could have been caused by a different amount
of sun shining on the roof or the internal heat of the garage melting the snow.
Methodology:
Daily observations of the snowpack in State College on February 15, 2014 shows that
there was about 16 inches of snow on the ground (figure 6). This would add weight to a roof if
there was 16 inches on the roof. The snow depth measured that day came from the COOP site
at the Walker building on the campus of Penn State. A map from NOAA also shows that the
snow depth in and around State College was between ten and twenty inches (figure 4). This
supports the COOP site’s data for that day.
Multiple sources reporting just about the same amount of snow on the ground during that
day shows that there is a high likelihood there was around 16 inches of snow on the ground.
This snow would have also fallen on the roof of the garage that collapsed. NOAA also has a
water equivalent of the snowfall that was on the ground on February 15th, and this amount was
between 1.5 and 2 inches of liquid water. Based off of this data, the snow that was on the
ground on February 15th was most likely a wet and heavy snow, which could increase the
weight over each square foot of the roof. Furthermore, according to the data from the State
College COOP site, about 2.35 inches of precipitation fell (melted frozen precipitation, such as
snow, and liquid precipitation) up to February 15th. Accounting for the amount of snow that
would have melted or evaporated during this time, it’s fair to assume that between 1.5 inches
and 2 inches of liquid water equivalent would have been on the roof of the garage on February
15th.
Summary:
The month of February, 2014, in total, received 26.7 inches of snow in State College.
Eight inches of that snow fell on the 13th of February, two days before the roof collapse. A total
of 22.9 inches of snow fell between the beginning of the month and the 15th of February (figure
6). Snow was recorded every day during the month of February expect for the 2nd of the month
and at least a trace of snow was on the ground every day during the month leading up to the
roof collapse. Temperature wise, both high and low temperatures remained below freezing
between the 6rd and 12th of February, with a 31 degree high temperature occurring on the 15th,
the day of the roof collapse. The temperature profile of the days leading up to the collapse of the
garage indicates that the snow would not have melted due to warm temperatures. The only
melting of the snow would have been through solar radiation from the sun or a warmer surface
the snow rests upon.
In regards to the overall weight of the snow, the liquid equivalent in the State College
area equalled a max of 2 inches of liquid water (figure 5). This would equate to about 10.4
pounds per square foot. According to multiple sources, a roof should be able to withstand
between 20 and 30 pounds per square foot. The historical context of the snow depth on the date
of the roof collapse places it at number 14 in State College’s records, with 16 inches of snow on
the ground. This means that there have been 13 other times since 1926 when the amount of
snow on the ground in State College was more than 16 inches. When it comes an individual
large snowstorm, there have been seven different storms with snowfall greater than 18 inches in
the last 75 years (figure 7). A 75 year event can be characterized by the average of a 100 year
snowfall, which is considered to be 26 inches, and a 50 year snowfall, which is considered to be
21 inches. Therefore, a 75 year snow event would be about 23 inches of snow. State College
has received four different snowfall events totalling more than 23 inches of snow in the last 75
years (since 1944), which indicates that snowstorms of this magnitude occur more frequently
than only once every 75 years.
Opinion:
With the data we have, the roof should not have collapsed with only 16 inches of snow. In order
to withstand a 75 year winter storm in State College, the roof should be able to hold about 23
inches of snow in order to meet the building codes specified. In terms of weight, the roof should
be able to withstand between 20 and 30 pounds per square foot. The weight of the snow on the
ground on February 15th was around 10.4 pounds per square foot. Therefore, if the roof was
able to withstand past snow events of this magnitude or greater, then, the roof should have
been able to withstand the February snow totals at the middle of the month.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Snowfall depth from State College records (goes back to 1926):
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Reached a max of 16 inches for snow depth on February 15th
Figure 7
75 year event: dates back to 1944

March 1994 -> 27.7 inches
March 1993 -> 27.7 inches
January 1964 -> 27.5 inches
November 1968 -> 22.5 inches
April 1942 -> 18.2 inches
February 2003 -> 18.2 inches
December 1992 -> 18.1 inches

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Jacob Morse

garage roof collapse.

supports the COOP site’s data for that day.

the snow rests upon.

snowfall, which is considered to be 26 inches, and a 50 year snowfall, which is considered to be

than only once every 75 years.

75 year event: dates back to 1944

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