In an effort to help the public understand snow ratio, the US National Weather Service out of Salt Lake City has provided an explanation. Snow ratio is the percentage of water within a sample of snow. An old rule of thumb was that for every 10 inches of snow there would be 1 inch of water. The truth is that snow ratios can vary dramatically around the country and even from event to event. Some of the variables that go into the ratio include, depth of the “warm” layer from the surface into the snow producing cloud and the amount of ice in the snow-producing cloud. Another factor is if it is windy, as it can cause snowflakes to fracture thus losing their lacy structure. On top of those things a deep cold leads to higher snow ratios.
