Global Temperature Monthly Update

[jdcarlson]

I have lived in Florida over 62 years. Before that I was in Illinois, where snow can accumulate.

 

There would be a significant problem with many houses in Florida if there were heavy snowfall.

 

Many houses in Florida have roofs with VERY shallow pitch. It is not uncommon to see a 30 ft wide building with the peak of the roof only 2 feet higher than the edge.

 

Rain will run off of that just fine. But snow just sits there. I fear many houses in Florida would have a collapsed roof with some of the snowfalls I saw when I lived in Illinois.

 

In Florida the BIG problem is hurricane resistance. I have seen pictures of whole roofs blown off of a building in a hurricane. New building codes sometimes require top plates of wall framing be anchored with 9 foot steel 1 inch in diameter fastened to the concrete foundation. Then special brackets to keep the roof trusses attached to the top plate.

 

It has only snowed very few times in the 62 years I have lived on the Gulf Coast. Even the sight of snow in the air causes many to run home and hide. One time (probably 45 years ago) there was about a 2 inch accumulation. My son wanted to build a snowman. It wasn't very good (at least by standards of a snowman in Illinois winters) but my son really enjoyed it.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim