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Snowmelt test

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Well if you get one inch of rain, that doesn't mean that if it were falling as snow, you would have one inch of snow. There is a conversion to determine "___ amount of rain equals ___ amount of snow". This conversion is not always the same, because air temperature plays a big role in this as well. When the air is near freezing, there is a lot of water content to the snow and 10 inches of snow could melt down to one inch of rain. However, if the air is very cold, and you have a powdery snow, it may take as much as 25 or more inches of snow to melt down to one inch of rain. Below is the conversions that you would use based upon the temperature. These conversions are all based on "____inches of snow melts down to one inch of rain."

TEMP (F) RATIO (SNOW:RAIN)
35 7:1
29 - 34 10:1 (Our snow falls 99% of the time between 25 & 35 degrees, thus making it very wet, 15:1 or 10:1 ratio)
20 - 28 15:1
10 - 19 20:1
0 - 9 30:1
<0 40:1

Comments

  • Troy_3
    Troy_3 Member Posts: 479
    Snowmelt test

    OK here goes- How many gal. of water are created over a 2000sq. ft. snowmelt parking area with a 10" snowfall?
  • Ron Schroeder
    Ron Schroeder Member Posts: 995
    Now thats a big Depends

    As there is more water content in heavy wet snowfall than in a light fluffy snowfall.
  • Home Depot Employee
    Home Depot Employee Member Posts: 329


    Well if you get one inch of rain, that doesn't mean that if it were falling as snow, you would have one inch of snow. There is a conversion to determine "___ amount of rain equals ___ amount of snow". This conversion is not always the same, because air temperature plays a big role in this as well. When the air is near freezing, there is a lot of water content to the snow and 10 inches of snow could melt down to one inch of rain. However, if the air is very cold, and you have a powdery snow, it may take as much as 25 or more inches of snow to melt down to one inch of rain. Below is the conversions that you would use based upon the temperature. These conversions are all based on "____inches of snow melts down to one inch of rain."

    TEMP (F) RATIO (SNOW:RAIN)
    35 7:1
    29 - 34 10:1 (Our snow falls 99% of the time between 25 & 35 degrees, thus making it very wet, 15:1 or 10:1 ratio)
    20 - 28 15:1
    10 - 19 20:1
    0 - 9 30:1
    <0 40:1

  • Home Depot Employee
    Home Depot Employee Member Posts: 329


    Well if you get one inch of rain, that doesn't mean that if it were falling as snow, you would have one inch of snow. There is a conversion to determine "___ amount of rain equals ___ amount of snow". This conversion is not always the same, because air temperature plays a big role in this as well. When the air is near freezing, there is a lot of water content to the snow and 10 inches of snow could melt down to one inch of rain. However, if the air is very cold, and you have a powdery snow, it may take as much as 25 or more inches of snow to melt down to one inch of rain. Below is the conversions that you would use based upon the temperature. These conversions are all based on "____inches of snow melts down to one inch of rain."

    TEMP (F) RATIO (SNOW:RAIN)
    35 7:1
    29 - 34 10:1 (Our snow falls 99% of the time between 25 & 35 degrees, thus making it very wet, 15:1 or 10:1 ratio)
    20 - 28 15:1
    10 - 19 20:1
    0 - 9 30:1
    <0 40:1

  • Home Depot Employee
    Home Depot Employee Member Posts: 329


    SORRY FOR THE KEYBOARD STUTTER
  • Brad White_9
    Brad White_9 Member Posts: 2,440
    Rule O' Thumb says

    an inch of rain is 10 inches of snow, but as Bruce said, is it fluffy or is it slushy? Broom-worthy or break out the Bobcat?

    Using the 10:1 ratio of snow to water, 2,000 SF an inch deep is 166.66 cubic feet x 7.49 gallons per CF = 22.25 gallons.

    This is absolute volume, not a flow rate for drainage purposes. That is up to you.

    Beats litres per hectare flowing at a rate expressed in furlongs per fortnight any day!
This discussion has been closed.