ROCHESTER, N.Y. – It is striking how directly temperature influences the amount of snowfall we receive in Rochester. On Thursday, a wide range of temperatures was observed across the Northeast, and those temperatures continued to change throughout the day. When the snow first began, readings were in the mid-30s, but temperatures steadily fell, eventually dropping into the teens.
This temperature change has a major impact not only on snowfall totals, but also on the weight and density of the snow. Meteorologists at News10NBC refer to this as the snowfall ratio, while a more familiar, non-technical term is the “fluff factor.”
To illustrate, consider half an inch of liquid precipitation , this is what we measure as the melted equivalent in a rain gauge. At a temperature of 34 degrees, that half inch of water produces roughly three inches of snow. However, when temperature falls to around 15 degrees, the same amount of liquid can accumulate to nearly a foot of snow.
Now, double the liquid amount to one inch of water. At 34 degrees, snowfall increases to about five inches. This snow tends to be heavy and wet, often referred to as “heart-attack snow” because of how difficult it is to shovel. But at 15 degrees, that same inch of liquid can result in as much as 24 inches of snow.
The challenge for meteorologists is that temperatures will often change while snow is actively falling. As a result, the snow ratio is constantly shifting, which means snowfall forecasts must remain flexible and are subject to change.
First Alert Weather In-Depth: Why snow totals shift as temperatures fall WHEC.com.
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