Winter Load Simulator

Model the stochastic chaos of a Minnesota winter. Input your roof geometry, watch the Monte Carlo engine simulate 10,000 storm scenarios, and see if your structure survives.

Snow-covered Minneapolis streets during a winter storm

⚙️ Simulation Parameters

Minneapolis avg: 25 psf (ASCE 7-16 Table 7.1-1)
Flat = 0°, Steep = 90°
Computed from θ per ASCE 7 Eq. 7-6
Core Formula (ASCE 7-16 §7.3.1):

p_s = 0.7 × C_e × C_t × C_s × I_s × p_g

Where:
p_s = Flat-roof snow load (psf)
C_e = Exposure factor
C_t = Thermal factor
C_s = Slope factor
I_s = Importance factor (1.0 residential, 1.2 critical)
p_g = Ground snow load

Monte Carlo variance: ±15% on p_g (storm intensity distribution)

🎯 Simulation Results

Configure parameters above and run simulation.
Engine will compute 10,000 stochastic iterations.

Grounded in: Wikidata Q7964839 (Structural Load) • Minneapolis Climate Data (Q36091)
Formula: ASCE/SEI 7-16 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings

📊 How This Works

This isn't a deterministic calculator—it's a probabilistic engine. Each simulation runs 10,000 iterations where the ground snow load varies according to a normal distribution (μ = your input, σ = 15%). Why? Because storms aren't averages. They're outliers.

The slope factor C_s is computed per ASCE 7 Equation 7-6:

C_s = 1.0 − (θ − 30°)/70° for 30° ≤ θ ≤ 50°
C_s = 1.0 for θ < 30°
C_s = 0.0 for θ ≥ 50°

Failure Probability: The percentage of iterations where p_s exceeds your structural capacity. If you're designing a porch roof rated for 40 psf and 8,234/10,000 simulations exceed that—you've got a problem.