ARIZONA · MARICOPA COUNTY
Phoenix Wind Load Requirements
In the Valley of the Sun, baseline wind is gentle — but monsoon haboobs and microbursts write the design story under ASCE 7-22.
SITE SIGNATURE
Sonoran floor, a wall of dust
A flat desert basin ringed by South Mountain and Camelback — calm most days, then a haboob rolls across the Valley and rewrites the gust.
WIND & EXPOSURE CONTEXT
What governs the design pressure
Phoenix carries a low basic wind speed, so the load case is set by short, violent monsoon outflows rather than steady wind.
Haboob Dust Walls
Thunderstorm outflow drives towering dust walls across the Valley at 40–60+ mph — envelope sealing matters as much as the gust.
3-SEC GUSTMonsoon Microbursts
June–September downbursts slam the ground and spread radially — brief, localized peaks that govern roofs and cladding.
PEAK GUSTUrban vs Open Desert
Central Phoenix sits in Exposure B; desert-fringe and Anthem-area sites push to Exposure C with higher pressures.
B / CExtreme Heat & Elevation
110–120°F summers stress membranes and fasteners; at ~1,100 ft the Ke ground-elevation factor trims air density slightly.
Ke FACTORCOMPLIANCE CHECKLIST
What you need to comply
The City of Phoenix and Maricopa County review sealed ASCE 7-22 calculations under Arizona's adopted IBC.
Design Wind Speed
95–105 mph (3-sec gust) for Risk Category II; higher categories read a higher-MRI map.
RISK CAT IIExposure Category
Exposure B across the urban core; open desert fringe defaults to the more conservative C.
B / CGoverning Code
Arizona adopts the IBC with state amendments and references ASCE 7-22 for wind design.
ARIZONA IBCTopography & Ke
The Valley floor stays at Kzt = 1.0; sites near South Mountain or Camelback may exceed it. Apply Ke for ~1,100 ft.
Kzt · KeAZ-Licensed PE Seal
Commercial and complex structures need calculations sealed by an Arizona-registered Professional Engineer.
PE SEALC&C + MWFRS
Submit both component-and-cladding and main-system pressures for plan review.
FULL SETOFFICIAL RESOURCES
Phoenix & Maricopa County authorities
Confirm locally adopted requirements with the permitting jurisdictions and the state registration board.
EXPLORE MORE
Nearby & statewide
Compare desert metros and look up design wind speed by location.
RUN THE NUMBERS
Calculate Phoenix wind loads
Enter an address or zip for ASCE 7-22 velocity, Exposure B/C guidance, Ke elevation correction, and PE-ready C&C and MWFRS pressures.