A news article recently published in The Herald News published in Fall River, MA is about a carport collapsing at a Holiday Inn Express hotel in Swansea, MA. While the article itself is simply about a carport at the hotel collapsing due to excess snow and the water damage brought about by the snow to the carport, it brings up the question, how much snow can a carport handle before it collapses, breaks, or tears?
The particular carport at the hotel in Swansea experienced water damage from “heavy” ice and snow buildup and that resulted in a crack in the carport’s ceiling. The combination of the crack and snow buildup caused the carport ceiling to collapse.
Although a carport is any structure used to cover a car, the most common carports used are polyethylene canopy carports and metal carports, both of which can come in flat roof, A-frame, and rounded roof designs. For snow, ice, and rain, the ideal carport has a rounded roof, and this type of carport is recommended for areas of the country that experience heavy snow falls, as snow falls off the curved roof and won’t build up on top of the roof of the carport. However, all types of carports are supposed to protect vehicles and other investments from weather damage, and a carport shelter is supposed to withstand certain amounts of wind and snow to give optimal protection for the vehicle.
For a polyethylene canopy and galvanized steel carport, the strongest canopy-type carport available, the roof is designed to withstand 37 to 53 pounds of snow for certain A-frame Shelterlogic carport models. Curved roof carport models can withstand the same amount, only this carport design is less prone to snow buildup on the roof. A metal carport, a popular carport type for its longevity of use, is designed to withstand 40 pounds of snow buildup on the roof. All carports, in addition, should be able to withstand winds up to 90MPH.
