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Late-March snowstorm brings water-logged snow

The water content of snow generally increases towards the end of the winter season. Here's why.

MOLINE, Ill. — A surprise late-March snowstorm inundated a good chunk of the Quad Cities burying some places in as much as 17 inches of wet, heavy snow! 

Now that we are in the heart of the flood season, the amount of water contained in each snowpack is crucial to maintaining river flooding forecasts. That is the subject of today's Ask Andrew. Let's dig in!

How much water was in the snow that fell on the last Saturday of March? 

The amount of water in a given snowpack can vary greatly from month to month. Typically, in January and February, the coldest months of the year in the Quad Cities, the water content isn't nearly as much compared to December and March.

This factor is referred to as the snow-to-liquid-equivalent ratio. For a given amount of liquid, a given amount of snow is produced all dependent on the temperature at the time. 

Credit: WQAD

Colder temperatures will produce a higher ratio, typically from 15:1 to 20:1, meaning the snow that does fall will be extremely light, airy, and fluffy. It will also blow and drift more considerably compared to other types of snow. Taking the number at face value, it means for every 1 inch of water that falls, you'll get 15 and 20 inches of snow respectively.

Likewise, the snow we had this past weekend was much heavier and contained a lot more water. It had a ratio of 8:1, making it wet, heavy, and very hard to remove with a shovel. Melted down, this snow contained anywhere from 0.80 inches to more than 1 inch worth of water in it. That's some heavy stuff! 

It's definitely not the kind you can easily broom off the pavement, either, since it typically comes with a base that features some melting thanks to the warmer ground and pavement temperatures this time of year. 

Have a question you would like me to answer for an upcoming Ask Andrew segment? Submit it, here.    

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