Snow and wind is a common combination in this area. The wind not only makes for treacherous travel but also makes it difficult to measure the snow.
The two recent snow and wind events around New Year's Eve prompted the question: How do you measure snow after such a storm?
When it is windy, our official observer in north Moorhead will go to a nearby park that is more sheltered to see how much the snowpack has increased as a starting point. By using that estimate, in combination with the melted amount in a rain gauge, he can begin to come up with an approximate figure based on experience. Also, a sample of the new snow of a known depth can be melted to get the snow/water ratio of the storm.
Then by factoring in the combination of that ratio with the melted snow in a rain gauge and the increase in overall depth, a good estimate to the actual snow that fell can be determined. Snow measuring in many ways is more art than science.
Have a weather question you'd like answered? E-mail weather@wday.com , or write to WDAY Stormtracker, WDAY-TV, Box 2466, Fargo, ND 58108
