Liquid Water/Snow Equivalent ?

[mmorris]

Now that winter is almost here and some have a way to melt the snow in the rain bucket, has anyone seen or written a script that will take the melted snow and convert it to the snow equivalent. I know there are chart out there and I have that but was looking for an on the fly conversion for the web site. Not bright enough to write my own and by the time I learned winter would be over    

If this need to be moved to another location go ahead and move this post.

[Anthony]

That could prove to be a little tricky I would think. Because a foot of dry snow and a foot of wet snow is not going to contain the same amount of liquid. So everytime the rainguage would indicate x amount of liquid. The script would say you had x amount of snow. And that may not be the case. Best way to do what you are wanting to do. Is to use a manal rainguage to catch the snow and then melt it down and note the liquid equivilant.

[NiceBill]

Now that winter is almost here and some have a way to melt the snow in the rain bucket, has anyone seen or written a script that will take the melted snow and convert it to the snow equivalent. I know there are chart out there and I have that but was looking for an on the fly conversion for the web site. Not bright enough to write my own and by the time I learned winter would be over    

If this need to be moved to another location go ahead and move this post.

I would like to see your chart if you could post it.

Thanks,

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[mmorris]

Ok you can find the snowfall chart here: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/newsnowfall.html

Now that winter is almost here and some have a way to melt the snow in the rain bucket, has anyone seen or written a script that will take the melted snow and convert it to the snow equivalent. I know there are chart out there and I have that but was looking for an on the fly conversion for the web site. Not bright enough to write my own and by the time I learned winter would be over    

If this need to be moved to another location go ahead and move this post.

I would like to see your chart if you could post it.

Thanks,

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[mmorris]

I would guess that is why the chart has different temp to try and compensate for the different types of snow. I know this is not really accurate and if I was retired I'd have a snow board. I've got the heater in the rain gauge so I'll know what the melt down is (I hope that expensive Davis heater works) and for now I got the chart it was just a point of not having to manually entering it on the web page, it would be nice to just watch it add inches on its own.

That could prove to be a little tricky I would think. Because a foot of dry snow and a foot of wet snow is not going to contain the same amount of liquid. So everytime the rainguage would indicate x amount of liquid. The script would say you had x amount of snow. And that may not be the case. Best way to do what you are wanting to do. Is to use a manal rainguage to catch the snow and then melt it down and note the liquid equivilant.

[NiceBill]

Ok you can find the snowfall chart here: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/newsnowfall.html

Now that winter is almost here and some have a way to melt the snow in the rain bucket, has anyone seen or written a script that will take the melted snow and convert it to the snow equivalent. I know there are chart out there and I have that but was looking for an on the fly conversion for the web site. Not bright enough to write my own and by the time I learned winter would be over    

If this need to be moved to another location go ahead and move this post.

I would like to see your chart if you could post it.

Thanks,

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I thought you had a chart that would convert the water back to the snow fall amount.

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[mackbig]

I am sure what you are thinking could be done given that this chart has a bunch of variables that could be used given an amount of melted snow, vs the temp it was outside when it fell.   Not sure if it could be done on the web side, as easily as it could be with a database on the actual pc.    One of the guru's should know.  If they come through, I might have to rig up a heater for my gauge.

Andrew

I would guess that is why the chart has different temp to try and compensate for the different types of snow. I know this is not really accurate and if I was retired I'd have a snow board. I've got the heater in the rain gauge so I'll know what the melt down is (I hope that expensive Davis heater works) and for now I got the chart it was just a point of not having to manually entering it on the web page, it would be nice to just watch it add inches on its own.

That could prove to be a little tricky I would think. Because a foot of dry snow and a foot of wet snow is not going to contain the same amount of liquid. So everytime the rainguage would indicate x amount of liquid. The script would say you had x amount of snow. And that may not be the case. Best way to do what you are wanting to do. Is to use a manal rainguage to catch the snow and then melt it down and note the liquid equivilant.

[mackbig]

With javascript you could probably convert your today's rain value, or yesterday rain value to a snow amount, using the average temp in the calculation, on the web page itself.

the only variable that is not possible, is if you live in an area that gets snow and rain at similar times.  But I guess you coudl build in logic that if temp is over 34, not to do the calc, but just show rain.  Then again I have gotten rain or f-rain at 28 degrees, so by this logic it would show on the site as snow.

Still sounds like a cool project, that could be disclaimed on your site as experimental what if type values...

Andrew

[SLOweather]

I would guess that is why the chart has different temp to try and compensate for the different types of snow. I know this is not really accurate and if I was retired I'd have a snow board. I've got the heater in the rain gauge so I'll know what the melt down is (I hope that expensive Davis heater works) and for now I got the chart it was just a point of not having to manually entering it on the web page, it would be nice to just watch it add inches on its own.

This would seem to be a fairy straightforward bit of scripting. It could be done in Javascript on the web page, or in PHP on the server.

Prior to programming, use the table to figure out the multiplier for water to snow for each temperature range. In the script, compare the current temperature to the temperature ranges from the table, and then multiply the appropriate constant times the current water equivalent.

I'd write it for you, but, in 35 years here, we never had snow at city level, so I'm not likely to need it.

[mmorris]

I understand it would be tough and not to much of a motivating factor to write a program that you didn't need or use. I sent in an future feature request to Ed. at support@ambientweather.com a couple of hours ago  if you know what I'm saying...
 Well thanks for the input,

I would guess that is why the chart has different temp to try and compensate for the different types of snow. I know this is not really accurate and if I was retired I'd have a snow board. I've got the heater in the rain gauge so I'll know what the melt down is (I hope that expensive Davis heater works) and for now I got the chart it was just a point of not having to manually entering it on the web page, it would be nice to just watch it add inches on its own.

This would seem to be a fairy straightforward bit of scripting. It could be done in Javascript on the web page, or in PHP on the server.

Prior to programming, use the table to figure out the multiplier for water to snow for each temperature range. In the script, compare the current temperature to the temperature ranges from the table, and then multiply the appropriate constant times the current water equivalent.

I'd write it for you, but, in 35 years here, we never had snow at city level, so I'm not likely to need it.

[racenet]

it would be nice to just watch it add inches on its own.

If you could do this, you'd be a very rich man.   

[mmorris]

This is what I got back from Ed. at Ambient. Ok I add the email message so you don't have to open the attachment..


Subject:
Re: future feature request
From:
"AmbientWeather.com" <support@ambientweather.com>
Date:
Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:35:46 -0700 (PDT)
To:
Miles Morris    my email address edited out

Thanks, I will put this on the wish list.
 
Sorry, I do not have an ETA.
 
Regards,
 
Ed

Miles Morris my email address edited out wrote:

    Just a Idea and you probably heard it before but as winter is coming it would be nice to have a feature to convert the melted snow from the rain gauge (for us that bought the Davis heater) into the Snow Equivalent. I have a link to the chart version. Link:     http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/newsnowfall.html
    Thank for your time in reading this,
    --
    >>Miles<<  By from Portage Lakes, OH.
    Member of Ohio weather observer network #100
    Member of OSCAR Racing League Grand National Series
    **Member UAW Local 294 Akron, OH.**
    Member of Buckeye GTO's car club
    To go to my Weather site and Grand National web site click here




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[NiceBill]

This is what I got back from Ed. at Ambient.

That sounds------------------------WHAT

Why not just reverse the chart you posted?

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[mmorris]

NiceBill the reply from Ed is in the attachment. As for the Chart the chart works just fine for converting melted snow in the rain bucket to the depth of the snow on the ground. The Idea is to automate the process so you don't have to read the chart and post it on the web site manually. I hope I'm not misunderstanding what you are asking.

This is what I got back from Ed. at Ambient.

That sounds------------------------WHAT

Why not just reverse the chart you posted?

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[NiceBill]

Maybe I did not get the attachment to work for me, but all it said was no ETA , ED?

I was just thinking that if the chart notes how much rain there would have been from so much snow fall, why not just reverse it, and say this much rain would have created this much snow fall.

I am getting to old for this I think I will opt out of this discussion and stick with my storm glasses.

Why do you wish to do this anyway 

Put the melted snow in a snow gun, recreate it, and then measure it.

Good luck with your adventure,

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Curly]

What type of weather data would a script need to convert it?

Hourly rainfall and an average hourly temperature? 

[SLOweather]

What type of weather data would a script need to convert it?

Hourly rainfall and an average hourly temperature? 

A simple one would just use current daily rain and current temperature. That would calc the current recovered snow equivalent. That value would vary as the temperature changes.

After that, the rest just makes it better. Put it in a database and you could get a better totalization of the snow equivalent, including starting the snow calcs when the temp drops low enough during a storm. And, you could interpolate additional temperature ranges so the total wouldn't jump too much when the temperature switches from range to range.

[Curly]

Put it in a database and you could get a better totalization of the snow equivalent, including starting the snow calcs when the temp drops low enough during a storm.

That's my thoughts too.
If a database was available as a source, it would be easy to work with rather than having to put the information into a database at regular intervals.

Any ideas on how to store the data?

[NiceBill]

Hi mmorris,

We are about on the same latitude, close enough I think.  I was wondering if we could not do a comparison as to how well the heaters do that we have.
You have the one by Davis, I have the one I built.  Now mine may go to total melt down, I don't know yet.
Don't know if you have had a chance to see it, but hear it is -some place-.  My cost was about $35.00

http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=2067.0

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[mmorris]

Bill,
I'll let you know after the first snow fall if mine works. You did a nice job on yours I hope it works out for you.

Hi mmorris,

We are about on the same latitude, close enough I think.  I was wondering if we could not do a comparison as to how well the heaters do that we have.
You have the one by Davis, I have the one I built.  Now mine may go to total melt down, I don't know yet.
Don't know if you have had a chance to see it, but hear it is -some place-.  My cost was about $35.00

http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=2067.0

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[tweatherman]

What about good 'ol lake effect snow with ratio's at times approching 50:1.

Tim