is a foot of snow equal in moisture that seeps into the ground as a foot of rain is?

Question

if not,then how about if the snow was packed down?

Answer 1

I've always been told that 1" of rain = 1' of snow.

Answer 2

I'm not sure about this but I have 2 thoughts:
1. Snow is less 'compact' then rain is. When water freezes it forms a crystal like structure that is less dense than water is (why ice floats in your drink). Therefore I wouldn't expect there to be nearly as many water molecules in 1 foot of snow as there would be in 1 foot of rain. (although some snow is 'wetter' but I don't really know how this would effect its molecular structure...)
2. Rain seeps into the ground all at once. Snow will melt over time so the water will enter the ground slower.

Answer 3

The water content of snow varies from very wet snow at 1 inch of water =3-4 inches of snow. to very dry snow where 1 inch of water =20 inches of dry snow. The usual average is 1 inch of rain=10 inches of snow. If the snow is packed down it will be closer to 1 to 1 but not equal,

Answer 4

No it doesn't. It's how deep the snow is when you have to walk/drive through it and if it was packed down it still wouldn't.

Snow is like ice and if you've ever put water in a cup and froze it, it expands slightly. The same with snow. Now matter how hard you packed snow into a space, when it melts it's going to be lower than the level it was at when it was snow.

Answer 5

Water expands as it freezes. Think of an ice cube tray in the freezer if you fill it all the way before you put it in, the ice will stick out over the top when frozen. I believe that ice is the most compact frozen version of water. When you are talking about snow think of all the open space in a snowflake - so even greater expansion than with an ice cube.

So no, they are not equivalent even if the snow is packed.

Answer 6

The amount of moisture in snow is highly variable. I have heard numbers from 12" to 4" of snow is equal to 1" of rain.

Answer 7

We always were told that 1 inch of rain was about 6 inches of snow. Of course this can vary based on temperature and other snow conditions. I guess snow could be packed down to ice. Ice has a specific volume of .95- its not quite as heavy as water and that is why it floats.

Answer 8

try this experiment. pack the snow together and put it in a container of cold water. Does it float? Or just have a drink of ice water. I think water is heavier (more dense).

By the way what is snow? Dan in Florida

Answer 9

no..one inch rain equals one foot snow

Answer 10

Ice takes up alot more space than iquid water takes up. So no matter how you compare it, snow is less.