Number range CHAPTER November 10, 2005

Dear Snow Spotter,

Thank you for your help last year! It was quite a year with the
"Historic" snow and ice storm just before Christmas. Your timely snow
and ice reports helped National Weather Service (NWS) Wilmington, Ohio
forecast two feet of snow in parts of the Whitewater and Miami Valleys
along with up to an inch of ice along the I-71 corridor. This storm set
a 24 hour record snowfall at the Dayton International Airport of 16".
This eclipsed the single storm record of 12.9" from the Blizzard of
1978.

We also had three other smaller events, two in January and one at the
beginning of March. Attached to this letter are snowfall maps from these
four events. [These maps were created using your snowfall measurements
and show how valuable the information is!!]{.underline}

If you are new to the NWS Snow Spotter Network -- WELCOME!! We are
thankful to have you as a volunteer.

The reason for having a Snow Spotter Network is to provide our
forecasters with near real-time snowfall information (i.e. ground
truth). As with Severe Weather, our forecasters can infer what is
currently going on or what will happen in the near future using various
tools (Radar, Satellite, Model Data, etc.). However, knowing how much
snow or ice that has actually fallen ("ground truth") allows us to
monitor the progress of a storm and make critical decisions concerning
Advisories and Warnings for a particular winter storm.

The snowfall information collected is used in several ways. First, it's
used to help our forecasters make real-time decisions during a winter
storm. Second, it's used to provide a summary of what actually happened
for all of our customers and partners (State and local officials, media,
and you). Finally, this ground truth information will be used to help
our forecasters evaluate how well their forecasts turned out, which will
help improve the forecast of future winter storms. **This is all thanks
to you!!!**

As a snow spotter we would like you to **report in real-time** the
following information:

+---------------------------------------+------------------------------+
| ## What to Report                     | #                            |
|                                       | [When to Report]{.underline} |
+---------------------------------------+------------------------------+
| -   **1\"** or more of snow per hour  | -   Anytime                  |
|                                       |                              |
| -   **1\"** or more of snow during    | -   Preferably between 5-8   |
|     the past 24 hours                 |     am/pm                    |
|                                       |                              |
| -   **Total Snow Depth**              | -   Preferably between 5-8   |
|                                       |     am/pm                    |
| -   **When you first measure 2"\...4" |                              |
|     and 6"**                          | -   Anytime                  |
|                                       |                              |
| -   **Any freezing rain/drizzle**     | -   Anytime                  |
|                                       |                              |
| -   **¼" of Ice Accumulation**        | -   Anytime                  |
|                                       |                              |
| -   **Thunder/lightning** associated  | -   Anytime                  |
|     with snow/sleet/freezing rain     |                              |
+---------------------------------------+------------------------------+

**Beginning this Fall we are initiating a program called eSpotter.**
eSpotter is a system that allows spotters to easily submit winter or
severe weather reports online. The use of the system is currently
available for trained spotters and emergency managers. To sign up go to
<http://espotter.weather.gov/> and click on **New to eSpotter?** \[
[Register Here](http://espotter.weather.gov/register/) \]. Once you've
registered then you will get a reply within 10 business days with a
temporary password.

Note, once you can log on with a password click on Create a Report in
the top left hand corner. This will take you to a Severe Weather Report
Form. Near the top there is a clickable link for a Winter Weather Report
Form.

If you don't have online access to eSpotter, then feel free to call our
unlisted number 1-800-899-2748. On occasion, we may give you a call
during a snow event. We will only call during the times you provided us
on your Severe Weather Spotter application.

![](media/image1.wmf){width="6.519444444444445in"
height="4.971527777777778in"}

**Figure 1 --** Schematic showing how to measure snow.

**Below are some tips for measuring snow:**

Measuring snow is a rough art and can be very subjective (Figure 1). A
lot depends on frequency and location of your measurement. You want a
cold flat surface that is somewhat protected from the wind, but not so
protected that snowfall measurements will be inaccurate. Below are some
helpful hints for measuring snow. On the web at
[www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/spotterpage/spotter.htm](http://www.erh.noaa.gov/iln/spotterpage/spotter.htm)
under Training you will find a PowerPoint presentation on how to measure
snow along with a brief tutorial on the same subject.

-   **Surface**:

    -   First choose a convenient spot away from the obstacles such as a
        house, garage, shed, fence, large bushes, and trees. Ideally
        about 10-12 feet from a 6 foot fence. These objects aid in the
        pilling up (drifting) the snow near them. The ideal spot will
        usually be in the middle of your back or front yard away from
        trees.

    -   Ideally a snowboard (A snowboard is simply a piece of plywood
        cut in about a 2 ft square and painted white.), an outdoor
        table, or a deck are the best measuring surfaces. If you use a
        snowboard on the ground, then a flag or some other marker will
        help you locate it during snowy weather.

        -   Pavement is OK if it's cold (below 32 F), but should not be
            used under milder conditions due to melting.

        -   Grass is too uneven\...especially in the Fall and after
            Greenup in the spring. Grass may be used in the middle of
            winter, if it's dead and not puffy.

        -   Bare ground is OK. Do not mistake an ice layer or crusted
            snow as the "ground".

        -   Picnic table and autos are fine if winds are light.

    -   If possible, clean off the surface you are measuring for your
        next measurement. If measuring on a surface that already has a
        covering of snow, then subtract the old snow from the new.

-   **Wind/Drifting:** If drifting is a problem, take several
    measurements and average them. Bare ground will give you a zero
    reading. Do not include the largest drifts.

-   **Frequency:** Do not measure [more]{.underline} than once an hour.
    Hourly measurements will be extremely helpful when snowfall rates
    are exceptional (1\" or more per hour). In general, once every
    several hours (3 to 6) is preferable (unless the snow is melting).

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-   **Total snowfall:** Report to the nearest tenth of an inch.

-   **Snow Depth:** Report to the nearest whole inch. Roundup at 0.5
    inches.

-   *The optimal conditions for measuring snow are to find a piece of
    wood (wooden picnic table or piece of ply-wood) in an open area
    where snow will fall unhindered and yet not drift from blustery
    winds. After measuring the snow clean off the piece of wood for your
    next reading.*

**Below are some tips for measuring ice:**

-   Measure on an outside surface such as a fence, picnic table, car,
    tree limb, etc. Make sure that there is no internal heat source.

-   When measuring use a ruler and your eyes to estimate how thick the
    ice has accumulated.

-   Do not measure the length of icicles.

Thanks again for volunteering! Your time and effort is greatly
appreciated. Feel free to call me at 1-800-899-2748 if you have any
questions.

Mary Jo Parker

Warning Coordination Meteorologist

National Weather Service

Wilmington, Ohio

![](media/image2.png){width="6.497222222222222in"
height="6.247916666666667in"}

Historic Winter Storm of December 22-23, 2004. This storm produced up to
2 feet of snow across portions of the Whitewater and Miami valleys.
There was also up to an inch of ice accumulation along the I-71
corridor.

![](media/image3.png){width="6.497222222222222in"
height="6.247916666666667in"}

January 20, 2005 - Snow Storm

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="6.497222222222222in"
height="6.247916666666667in"}

January 25, 2005 - Snow and Ice storm.

![](media/image5.png){width="6.497222222222222in"
height="6.247916666666667in"}

March 1, 2005 -- Snow Storm