NOAA's National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Northland Snowfall Spotter Program

Click on map for larger image Northland Snowfall Spotter Network

Interested in becoming an official NWS snowfall spotter? Contact the Snowfall Program Leader to see if one is needed in your area. Or, call  218-729-6697 ask for Mike Bettwy

Report Your Snowfall HERE

DEFINITIONS

Snowfall:	depth of new snow that has accumulated since the previous day or observation
Snowdepth:	combined total depth of both old and new snow on the ground
Snowburst:	very intense period of snowfall, often of short duration, that greatly restricts visibility and produces periods of rapid snow accumulation
Snow Water Equivalent:	the water content obtained from melting both snow and ice
Blizzard:	winds of at least 35 miles per hour along with considerable falling and/or blowing snow reducing visibility to less than one-quarter mile for a period of at least three hours

MEASURING SNOW

	Find a flat, representative location where blowing and drifting are minimized.		Snowfall Spotters should report snowfall to the nearest 0.1 inch.
	After each observation, clear the snow from the specified location in order to keep track of the NEW SNOW from the OLD SNOW.		Report to the NWS once you have measured 1, 3, and 6 or more inches of NEW SNOW.
	In addition to melting, snow settles and compacts as it lies on the ground.		When the storm ends, report the storm total to the NWS.
	If you measure the snow only at the end of a storm, it may not match the sum of your frequent observations, due to melting and compacting. This would result in an incorrect storm total.		To determine the storm total, add the snowfall amounts from each observation taken during the storm.

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