NEW YORK · MONROE COUNTY / CITY OF ROCHESTER
Off Lake Ontario's south shore, Rochester engineers for lake-driven, not coastal, wind
An upstate Flower City sited where the Genesee River meets the Great Lake — design speeds run inland-moderate, but the open water rewrites your exposure.
CYAN · WHAT MOVES THE NEEDLE HERE
The lake makes the wind — extratropical, not tropical
Rochester's design winds come from Great-Lakes lows and lake-effect bursts off open Ontario water, not hurricanes. The driver is your terrain, not a tropical map.
Open-water fetch
Northwest flow crosses miles of unobstructed Ontario water before landfall — the shoreline strip loses terrain roughness.
EXPOSURE C/DGenesee gorge channeling
The river canyon and High Falls notch through downtown can steer and accelerate gusts in the immediate corridor.
CHECK KztDense upstate fabric
The Park Ave and East Ave grids, plus the old Kodak/Xerox blocks, supply the closely-spaced obstructions that earn Exposure B.
EXPOSURE BSummer downbursts
Warm-season thunderstorm complexes deliver brief straight-line winds and the rare tornado — folded into the 7-22 maps.
STRAIGHT-LINECYAN · ONE ZIP NORTH CHANGES EVERYTHING
From Charlotte beach to East Avenue, your exposure walks inland
Wind speed shifts only at the top of the range; exposure category is where Rochester sites truly split. Confirm both per site.
| Where in Rochester | Typical V (Risk II) | Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte · Ontario Beach · Lake Shore Blvd | 105–110 mph | C (D at the water's edge) |
| Downtown · High Falls · Genesee corridor | 100–105 mph | B urban |
| East Ave · Park Ave historic districts | 100–105 mph | B urban |
| Pittsford · Henrietta · Greece suburbs | 100–105 mph | B suburban |
The dividing line is proximity to open water, not the city limit. A site three blocks from the lake can carry a different category than one three blocks south — a wrong call swings pressures sharply. Always verify with Monroe County for the locally adopted values.
VIOLET · THE NEW YORK PERMIT CHECKLIST
What a Monroe County permit set actually demands
Five items separate a stamped Rochester submittal from a rejection. Hit each before you file.
Site-specific V
Pull the 7-22 speed for your exact address inside the 100–110 mph band — never a single city-wide number.
ASCE 7-22 MAPExposure call
Justify B vs C (vs rare D) from the surrounding terrain — lakeshore openness vs urban roughness, with photos if borderline.
26.7Risk category
Standard occupancy reads Risk II; U of R schools and Strong/Rochester General hospitals climb to III–IV and a higher-MRI map.
TABLE 1.5-1C&C + MWFRS
Deliver component pressures for windows, doors, roof panels and cladding, plus the main system for the whole frame.
7-22 CH. 30NY PE seal
Education Law Art. 145 requires a New York–licensed Professional Engineer to seal the structural wind calcs.
SEALED SETCYAN · UPSTATE & STATEWIDE
Working beyond the Flower City? Jump to the right map
Compare neighboring lake cities or step up to the full New York and national picture.
Buffalo
Lake Erie's east end — a windier, more open profile than Rochester.
ERIE COUNTYSyracuse
Central NY snowbelt neighbor with its own lake-effect loading mix.
ONONDAGA COUNTYNew York State
The statewide code adoption and ASCE 7-22 reference for every county.
NYSBCWind speed by location
Look up the design speed for any U.S. address on the 7-22 maps.
LOOKUPCYAN · OFFICIAL ROCHESTER & NY SOURCES
Verify everything at the source of record
EMERALD · RUN THE NUMBERS
Stop guessing where the lakeshore line falls — calculate Rochester loads now
Enter a Genesee-corridor or lakefront address and get the right V, exposure and Risk-Category pressures — PE-ready for Monroe County.