 |
Morning After Snowstorm, North Amherst MA
Photo by S. Vardatira, 3/8/2018 |
By the ruler, 5.75" of heavy, wet snow is currently on the ground here in North Amherst. So why are we hearing official totals in the 10" to 12" range for Amherst? National Weather Service guidelines for measuring snow take into account several special situations that require a different approach to gauging totals. And yesterday we had one of those special situations. The snow was so wet and heavy that as new snow was falling it was pressing down, condensing, and even melting the snow under it. In a more typical situation, the guideline is to measure snowfall totals using a uniform flat surface, clearing that surface no more than four times in a 24-hour period, measuring the amount of new snow that falls each time, and adding those amounts together. That would not have worked yesterday. For about 4 hours yesterday afternoon, while it was snowing hard (and I wasn't clearing my surface and re-measuring new snowfall), I kept getting the same total as the new, heavy wet snow condensed the snow under it. The only way to get a more accurate reading yesterday was to clear the surface and re-measure more frequently. I did not stick with it enough to offer up an official reading, but that's how this morning's official Amherst reading gets to 10"-12." And this also explains why clearing off your car this morning is so much harder than you would think 6 inches would be.
(Photo I took this morning is further proof this is not just a typical 6 inch snowfall. It's heavy and sticky.)
No comments:
Post a Comment