With winter upon us, it’s time once again to review the procedures for measuring and reporting winter precipitation.

Helpful reminders:

1.       At the beginning of the snowfall/freezing season, remove the funnel and inner measuring tube of the rain gauge to expose the overflow can so that is can more accurately catch frozen precipitation.

2.       Check your gauge to make sure there are no leaks. If there are leaks, give us a call and we’ll mail you out a new one.

3.       If you have a snow board, put it out and mark its location with a flag or some other indicator so it can be found after a new snowfall.  Be sure to locate it in an open area (not under trees, obstructions, or on the north side of structures in the shadows).

What to report:

1.       Measure and record the snowfall (snow, sleet, snow pellets) since the previous snowfall observation.  Take this measurement once-a-day and be sure to reflect the total accumulation of new snow observed (in inches and tenths, for example, 3.9 inches) since the last snowfall observation.

2.       Determine the depth of snow on the ground at the normal observation time. Take this observation once-a-day at the scheduled time of observation.  Use a measuring stick to measure the total depth of snow on the ground.  Report snow depth to the nearest whole inch, rounding up when one-half inch increments are reaches (example 0.4 inches gets reports as a trace (T), 3.5 inches gets reported as 4 inches).

3.       Measure and record the water equivalent of snowfall since the previous days observation.

Measuring liquid precipitation equivalent:

1.       Report the liquid water equivalent for any NEW snowfall to the nearest 0.01 inch.

a.       Two methods for melting snow

                                                              i.      Add  warm water to the gauge in order to melt the snow. Remember to carefully measure the added warm water so you can subtract that figure from your final measurement.

                                                            ii.      Another method is to place the rain gauge in a bucket of warm water. Remember to dry the outside of the gauge off so none of the water from the bucket runs down the sides and into your measuring tube.

2.       If too little snow has fallen to effectively measure, report it as a trace.

Reporting New Snowfall Depth:

1.       Take an average of ten measurements in an open area. Try to avoid any drifts or bare spots.

2.       Report to the nearest 0.1 of an inch.

Reporting Total Snow Depth:

1.       Report snow depth whenever snow covers more than 50% of the ground.

2.       Report to the nearest whole inch. If less than ½ inch, report as a trace.

Note: Measuring total snow depth can be tricky. As you know, snow may melt quickly from south facing areas, but linger for days in shaded or north facing area.  Use good judgement in averaging the snow depth around your area.

We at the National Weather Service would like to take this opportunity to say THANKS!  With the assistance of our COOP and precipitation spotters, we hope to have a successful winter season keeping the public informed and ready.