Topic: Measureing Snow

[DJMWX86]

What is the correct way to measure snow fall? I always use the NWS reports from my town but they don't have my town but rather a few others just outside. It would be nice to have my own measurement for a change.

[racenet]

Uh, it's called a ruler. 

In all seriousness, it's that simple. There are tons of this and thats on how to measure snow, but the only thing you really need to remember is to keep it to the closest 1/10th of an inch.

Have fun.



Bob
 

[floodcaster]

Lots of good info on the CoCoRaHS page here. I see Ohio is coming onboard in Feb 09.

[JOE]

Hardest part of measuring snow is where to measure.  It's never even.

Take 10 measurements and get ten readings.  Not as bad here in town, but when I lived in the country, it could be bare ground to a 4 foot drift...

[killwilly]

Snow, what's that?   

Alan

[Anthony]

I always try to measure on a hard surface and not in a grassy area. If you measure in a grassy area. The ruller can sink down thru the grass and give you an inacurate reading. And as mentioned. Take several readings and then average them.

[NiceBill]

If one wishes to get accurate snow depth readings, one should set out snow boards, 2' sq, or round.  You should have them out by now.  They should have markers so you can locate them.
A driveway or the road is a very poor choice, unless you live in AK.

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

[DJMWX86]

Is there any way of measureing snow fall using a rain gauge?

[tweatherman]

There's no real accurate way to do this. The average is about 1:10 ratio. One inch of water to 10 inches of snow. It can vary greatly as soon as you start talking about lake effect snow.

Tim
www.localareaweather.com

[mackbig]

there is a thread here on this
http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=2356.0

and it references this chart
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/newsnowfall.html

not sure why lake effect would change the calc too much, its pretty much just temp to liquid ratio.  not exact, but cool

Andrew

[JOE]

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/newsnowfall.html

Thought that would be a good one to print out and tape on the wall.

But 3 pages?!  Sheesh.

Little work in Excel and got it to one page.

Download here if anyone wants it.

[NiceBill]

Is there any way of measureing snow fall using a rain gauge?

To answer your question, the answer is simply NO. If you wish to measure the amount of precip. that has fallen, in the form of snow, now that's another story.

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

[NiceBill]

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/newsnowfall.html

Thought that would be a good one to print out and tape on the wall.

But 3 pages?!  Sheesh.

Little work in Excel and got it to one page.

Download here if anyone wants it.

Maybe something sliped by me.  What is the area size??  1"  1ft.  1yd.??

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

[tweatherman]

Lake effect has alot to do with water equiv. to snow ratio no matter what temp. it is. I know this from experience. Average of 30 degree temp. for 24hrs. and got 0.24" of water to 3.6" of snow. I've seen 1:30 ratio with lake effect before around the 30 degree mark.

Tim
www.localareaweather.com
Coop: ELWM4

[JOE]

Maybe something sliped by me.  What is the area size??  1"  1ft.  1yd.??

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

Uh, I don't follow you.  Area?

It's a spreadsheet set to print that chart out on 1 piece of paper.

Precip is in inches.
 

[Mark / Ohio]

...  Little work in Excel and got it to one page.

Download here if anyone wants it.

Thanks Joe!  I saved and printed out a copy.   

[NiceBill]

Maybe something slipped by me.  What is the area size??  1"  1ft.  1yd.??

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

Uh, I don't follow you.  Area?

It's a spreadsheet set to print that chart out on 1 piece of paper.

Precip is in inches.
 

Joe your spread sheet is great.  My question relates to the area measured?  Is that taken from one sq in., one sq. ft., a standard four in. CoCoRaHs rain gauge or from a eight in. NWS rain gauge. The chart may say so, but maybe I missed it?

Thanks,  Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[tomcj2]

N.B.:
I cannot see how the area should, or can matter.  You are only using one dimension (depth) to convert to a liquid equivalent.  ( and does your heater work as expected?)

[NiceBill]

N.B.:
I cannot see how the area should, or can matter.  You are only using one dimension (depth) to convert to a liquid equivalent.  ( and does your heater work as expected?)

OK,  take a snow fall of a 2" depth, by 1 sq. in. area.  Melt it, how much precip. do you have?  Now take a 2" depth by one sq. ft.,  melt it, how much precip. do you have now?  If I shoveled two acres of a 2" snowfall in to a large enough vessel and melted it, I would have enough to put out a house fire.

I wish to know what is used as a standard for this chart,   is it a 4" CoCoRaHS gauge?   Sorry, I can't make it any planer than that.

The heater works outstanding, see my last post on it.

See it hear.  http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=2188.msg18786;topicseen#msg18786

Thanks,
Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Mark / Ohio]

....OK,  take a snow fall of a 2" depth, by 1 sq. in. area.  Melt it, how much precip. do you have?  Now take a 2" depth by one sq. ft.,  melt it, how much precip. do you have now?  If I shoveled two acres of a 2" snowfall in to a large enough vessel and melted it, I would have enough to put out a house fire.

I wish to know what is used as a standard for this chart,   is it a 4" CoCoRaHS gauge?   Sorry, I can't make it any planer than that....

Bill,

I think you are trying to over analyze here. 

Think of it this way, your rain gauge is calibrated to read the same amount no matter what the size the funnel is.  The size of funnel only effects the accuracy to some degree.  That is the amount of water covering the ground if it were laying on top not being absorbed, no matter what the area is.  The chart is estimating what the rain gage would read in the same manor, depth of water if the snow was melted, not volume of water over any specific area.

The larger size of the funnel is the equivalent of taking snow depth in multiple places.  The final readings will be more accurate when averaged but the individual readings will be roughly the same.  In simplest terms your just adding more data samples to refine or increase the accuracy of the end result.

[NiceBill]

Mark,

You must have a standard to go by. period.

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

[tomcj2]

If you have an empty soup can , or an olympic sized (flat bottomed) pool you would have have exactly the same depth of water after the rain storm although you would have a great difference in the volume of water collected.  You would only need the area that the snow was collected from to create the data on the chart,  The cross sectional area of the container that you used to measure the depth of the melted snow would have to be exactly the same as the area from which you collected it. If you collected 10 inches of snow from a 4 inch diameter circle and melted it you would get 1 inch depth of water in a 4 inch can.  If you poured that into your inner CoCoRaHS it would indicate a reading of 1 inch but the actual water depth would be closer to 12 inches.

[NiceBill]

Exactly, what is the chart using????
Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Mark / Ohio]

Exactly, what is the chart using????
Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The same standard that both a 4" and 8" gauge uses.   

[NiceBill]

OK,
Like I said in my first post.  Maybe I missed that, as I did not see it noted on the chart.

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