What Depth of Snow Is Equivalent to an Inch of Rain?
Newly fallen snow having a depth of about 11¹⁄₃ inches is equivalent to one inch of rain. A cubic foot of newly fallen snow weighs 5¹⁄₂ pounds and a cubic foot of fresh or rain water weighs 62¹⁄₂ pounds or 1,000 ounces. An inch of rain means a gallon of water spread over every two square feet, or about a hundred tons to every acre. The density of snow naturally varies a good deal according to the speed with which it falls. Temperature, also, has much to do with its bulk. In cold, crisp weather, when the thermometer registers several degrees of frost, snow comes down light and dry; but in moist, cold weather, when the temperature is only just below thirty-two degrees, the snow falls in large, partially thawed flakes, and occupies much less space where it falls than that which reaches the earth during the prevalence of a greater degree of cold.